The Man At The Bar
by Gabs
Summary: Update! 'There’s this guy at the bar. I see him there every night. It makes me wonder… ' Part 42: the truth begins to surface. ON HIATUS.
1. Ch 1

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The Man At The Bar

Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't claim I do, don't sue, do review!

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A/N: Just an idea that popped into my head a few days ago… I actually had to get out of bed at 12:30 just so I could write it down… it's coming out a little longer than I had planned, but it works, I guess… 

There's this guy at the bar. I see him there every night. It makes me wonder… what's wrong with his life? I swear, he is seriously the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. He's probably around 40, give or take a few years. He can't be lacking financially- he always wears pretty expensive suits, he'll drop up to $100 a night on drinks, he's constantly checking his really nice cell phone or equally expensive beeper. And the one time I saw him leave, it was in a very impressive black sports car. So why is he here every night? Something had to have happened. Maybe he lost someone in his family? Maybe he got divorced and lost the things that truly matter? Or maybe he's just trying to escape this world.

I can't tell. But I'd really like to know. As he orders a plain vodka, I consider talking to him. Tonight I finally felt brave enough to actually sit next to him. Most nights, I watch him from a distance. He really is gorgeous, with his short brown hair, the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen, and an adorable pair of dimples when he smiles. I've only seen that once, the one time he answered his phone at the bar.

I wish my best friend could meet him. They would be so cute together, I just know it.

But that line of thought is interrupted when he glances over and catches me looking. I'm a bit startled, for two reasons. First, its not every day you get caught blatantly staring at someone. Second, the pain in his eyes is 100 times stronger that I'd ever imagined. He gives me a very small half smile, which alleviates my nervousness, for the most part. "Hi," I begin hesitantly. "Hi," he replies, so softly I almost miss it. "Um… I don't mean to pry, and you can tell me to shut it, or whatever, if I'm way out of line in asking, but… is something wrong? I mean, you always look so, I don't know… heartbroken, I guess…" I trail off as he prepares to answer.

The next part, which will be Vaughn's POV, is going to be up soon, I promise! But is it worth it to continue with this?


	2. Ch 2

Wow! Thanks so much for all the great reviews, I appreciate them so much! You guys totally rock! 

Vaughn's POV

Is something wrong? She doesn't know the half of it. "Yeah… yeah, I guess you could say that," I tell her. You could definitely say that. Everything is wrong in Michael Vaughn's life. "Like what? I mean, if you don't mind me asking, that is…" she trails off. Like what? Oh, I don't know. Maybe something like "The woman I was in love with disappeared 6 years ago." She suddenly can't look at me. I don't blame her. I can hardly look at me. I should have been able to save her. It was a simple mission. Irina directed Sydney to Battle Creek, Michigan, where she would retrieve a disk containing valuable info. Simple op, we'd done it a thousand times. Syd went in, got the disk, and confirmed that she was on her way to the extraction point.

She never made it.

I never heard anything else from her. No fights, no words, nothing. She was just… gone. Jack and I were on a plane out to Battle Creek 1 hour later. Kendall made us wait to confirm that Sydney was indeed MIA, and not just delayed in making the rendezvous. Some not-so-veiled threats from Jack, myself, and even Irina helped him decide to cut down the wait time.

We found nothing. No blood. No equipment. No disk. She had vanished without a trace. At first, Jack refused to leave Battle Creek until she was found. It took me pointing out that we couldn't help Syd by looking around aimlessly out there. He finally agreed to leave, but he was then at the Ops Center all night, and he didn't bother going to SD-6 the next day. After a lot of work on my part, he was convinced that he needed to go see Sloane with a cover for Sydney's absence. I reminded him that Sloane would more than likely be willing to expend some of his SD-6 resources to search for Sydney. Jack agreed with me, and told Sloane that she had left for Michigan to visit an old friend, but she had never arrived, and hadn't made contact with him. Sloane bought it without question, and instantly sent a small team out to look for her. Dixon insisted upon being part of the team, and Sloane made him the leader. 

However, as the year progressed with no sign of Sydney, Dixon was assigned a new partner, and the SD-6 search team dwindled. Jack spent more and more time at the Ops Center, and less time at SD-6 or home. I had hoped that reminding him that destroying SD-6 was what Sydney lived for would be enough motivation to pull himself out and finish the job. Instead, he became more detached. Eventually, Sloane started becoming suspicious. He had given Jack a surprising amount of leeway when it came to looking for Sydney, but enough was enough. Finally, the CIA had to pull Jack out. He had been exposed.

Ooooh… I'm just gonna leave it there for now. Mainly because the next part has all of 2 paragraphs, so I'm not ready to do anything with it yet. But since I kinda like this story, I promise it wont be a really really long time before I update! Please review, it would be a great birthday and christmas present, since my b-day is 2 days before X-mas and all…


	3. Ch 3

Again, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you guys rock so much- especially the people who keep coming back and reviewing each chapter. I know this one is really short too, but that damn 'real life' thing keeps interfering. If this story isn't wrapped up by the time finals are over (12 days, whoo!) then I promise a big long chapter as a Christmas present!

Knowing Jack would never sit around idly in the witness protection program, I went to the safehouse Devlin had sent him to. He was leaving when I arrived. "Jack…" I began before he cut me off. "Agent Vaughn. Do not presume to stop me. I will not hide out in some CIA safehouse, waiting for news on my daughter, all the while knowing that I will not hear any. I know you care about her as well, so I am asking you to please, stay out of my way." I glanced around outside, just to be sure we were still safe, and then pushed Jack back in and shut the door. "Look, Jack, I'm not here to stop you, believe it or not. I'm here to offer my assistance. You can go wherever you need to go, do whatever you need to do, and I won't breathe a word of it to Kendall or Devlin. But I need you to keep in touch. If we work together, we have a better chance of finding her." Jack nodded slightly. "Fine. But I contact you. I don't want to run the risk of you having the means to contact me. Not that I don't trust you, it's just safer for all involved. I'll be in touch at least once a week." Wanting to keep the meeting short for the safety of us both, I turned to leave. Jack stopped me with a very quiet, unexpected "Thank you."

I suddenly become aware of the woman speaking to me. "Are you ok?" It doesn't sound like the first time she's asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." She nods dubiously, and takes another sip of her own drink. I wonder when she ordered that. "I lost someone close to me a few years ago too…" she keeps talking, but I tune her out for the most part. I listen enough to reply when I need to, but my thoughts drift back- to Sydney's other parent.

I was shocked when I realized that Syd's disappearance was hitting Irina as hard as it hit Jack. For a while, she wouldn't speak to anyone. No back-and-forth bickering with Jack, no smart remarks to Kendall. Then one day, he threatened to rescind her immunity, saying it hinged one her cooperation. She still wouldn't talk to him. Later that day, I went in to see her for the third time since Sydney's disappearance. As soon as I walked in, her eyes met mine. "I didn't know," she said softly. I was surprised; those were the first words she had uttered in almost a month. I was also confused. "What do you mean?" She looked up at me again, and it was obvious she hadn't been sleeping much better than Jack or myself. "I didn't know this was going to happen. I didn't know Sydney would go missing." I wondered if Kendall had accused her of setting Syd up. "I know you didn't. No one says you did. But what I need is for you to keep working with us. I may need your help to find Sydney, and if Kendall ships you off again…" knowing she would understand, I allowed myself to trail off. After a moment, she nodded. "Fine. But I speak only to you."

That had been unexpected. It was strange, how life worked. This woman kills my father, and I end up being the only person she'll talk to. But, knowing full well that her help could be invaluable, I agreed. She continued to provide me with names, which I passed on to Kendall. I don't know what he did with the info, or what agents he sent out there. To me, it was all just a formality, something I had to do in order to continue using CIA resources- including Irina- to find Syd. Nothing ever panned out. The man who had been in possession of the disk- one Matthew Jericho- had turned up dead.

And then, Irina Derevko had escaped.

Now, how awesome was 'Passage Part 2?' I knew My Hero (Irina) would come through! And did anyone else hope those were hockey tickets Vaughn was pulling out at the end? I so thought they were… ah well, it was cute anyway… again, thanks for reading! I'll love you forever if you review!


	4. Ch 4

Again, a million and a half thanks for all the awesome reviews! I'm thinking this won't be done before next Friday, so you'll all be getting a nice, long chapter after that.

I think I knew it would happen. Not long after Jericho's body was found, I went to see Irina again. "I can't deal with this. The CIA is not trying hard enough." She wouldn't look at me as she said these words. "I agree." Her eyes met mine, and I nodded. "Do what you have to do." Her face remained impassive. "Thank you, Agent Vaughn." I really wanted to ask what, exactly, she had in mind, but I didn't dare do so, not with all the cameras monitoring her cell.

I was beginning to think I had misinterpreted her. I had been 2 weeks since that little talk, and nothing had changed. She didn't act different when I went to see her; Kendall didn't seem at all suspicious. So I let the idea slip out of my head.

Then one night, Kendall called. "Derevko wants to speak to you, immediately." It had to be important if she would actually talk to Kendall just to get me in there. "I'll be right in." The woman didn't have the best timing. It was after 10; I had just gotten home, and now I had to turn around and go back. I didn't bother trying to relocate the tie or jacket I had tossed a few moments before. 10 minutes later, Kendall was giving me a reproachful look as I walked past him on my way to the familiar cell. Irina must have realized I was none too pleased at having to come back; she immediately began her explanation.

"Agent Vaughn, I apologize. This could not wait for the morning. I didn't realize today's date until one of the guards made a comment a few moments ago." I frowned. December 23; what was so special? Two days before Christmas, sure, but I somehow doubted that mattered to Irina. "You need to meet a contact in Auckland, New Zealand, tomorrow morning. It is essential that you- and you alone- are there." I could see it in here eyes; she was dead serious. "Why? And who?" She shook her head slightly. "You should know I cannot tell you that. Just be there. You'll find a payphone by the theater on Kevintod St. It will ring at 9:15. Answer it." Her eyes held mine for a long moment before I finally nodded. "How long should I expect to be gone?" She smiled slightly. "A week, assuming all goes well. If things don't work out as planned, you can expect to be home in time to spend Christmas Eve with your family." I really didn't need to ask what this was about. But I was tired of her being in control of everything. "So you want me to leave my family- the people that I love- 2 days before christmas, but you wont tell me who I'm meeting, or what this is about?" She gave me a scathing look.

"You know full well what this is about."

I didn't answer. Looking annoyed, Irina stepped closer to the dividing glass- as close as she could get without pressing her face against it. "Agent Vaughn, your hesitation in this matter centers around the people that you love: your family. I, however, am talking about the one person we both love. You know that." Again, I didn't reply. This time, it was more due to the fact that I couldn't. Never before had I heard Irina Derevko say she loved Sydney. She had, on more than one occasion, implied that she did. She had expressed pride, anger, and even a little confusion. But this was a first.

Finally, I managed to reply. "I'll be there." She nodded. "Thank you." I just nodded as I turned to leave. I was even more tired that I had been 20 minutes ago; seeing her was always an emotionally draining experience. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep- until I realized I had to get on a plane. I glanced back at Irina, slightly annoyed. So I had to find a hotel in Auckland, and somehow get a ticket for a plane, all in a few hours. With a sign, I headed home to pack the few things I needed. I had already been given 5 days off for Christmas from Devlin. If this took as long as Irina predicted, I'd be a couple days overdue, but I could face the consequences. I decided that it would all be worth it if I found Syd.

My attention is drawn by something the woman next to me is saying. "So then this friend went out there to try to find her, but he came up empty. He kept looking, though. He still goes out there sometimes. And then, there's that whole thing with her dad… it's all so weird. I mean, seriously? All of this in one year? It's not normal." I stare at her, going over everything she said- that I can remember- in my mind. What about her friend's father? Before I can say anything, her cell phone rings. "Oh… excuse me." I nod absently. She speaks quietly- so quietly that I cant hear. Not that I'm trying to eavesdrop, it's just that… well, I guess I am, actually. A few minutes later, she hangs up and turns back to me, smiling. "What did you say your name was?" I ask. She starts to reply, but my cell phone cuts her off. I roll my eyes and reach for the offending, noisy object. I don't recognize the number, so I slip it back into my pocket. "You're not going to answer?" I shrug. "I don't know the number. If it's important, they'll leave a message." My ring tone starts up again. "Or call back," I add as I reach for it again. This time, I answer. "Are you busy?" A quiet voice asks. "Right now?" I glance over at the woman seated next to me. "Actually, no. Tomorrow." I think about it briefly. "Aside from the usual stuff at work, no." Once again, I glance towards the woman, but she's no longer there. I sigh to myself and listen as Jack tells me to get out of work somehow, someway, at 2:30 tomorrow. I agree and he hangs up. That's how our calls always go. They're usually more than a little surprising, I think to myself as I remember the New Zealand mission.

I had hoped to make 2 more updates this week, but then all my teachers decided that they wanted to actually make me do work in class… what kind of school am I attending? Honestly… hopefully, more of them will be like my German teacher was today (lets put on a video that you don't have to take notes or pay attention to!) so that I can maybe upload another chapter tomorrow afternoon… As always, I'll love ya forever if you review!


	5. Ch 5

I had intended to get this up a lot sooner, but I'll explain that at the end. How awesome was 'The Abduction' last Sunday? I loved that Syd/Irina hug scene! Anyway, on to the show…

Somehow, I managed to get a reasonable plane ticket and a suitable hotel room, all in an hour. By midnight, I was on my way to Auckland. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. With so many thoughts running through my mind, how could I possibly be calm? Throughout the flight, I kept shutting my eyes, hoping sleep would overtake me. But each time, any of a number of faces would come into views. There would be Irina, smiling in that all knowing manner of hers; Syd, seemingly scared of something; Jack, looking incredibly angry; Will in shock; Irina, taunting. It was that last one that came up more than any other. What if Irina was setting me up? What if all of this, from Syd's disappearance to this mysterious trip to New Zealand, was all just part of her master plan? What if I was setting myself up for a huge fall?

But… what if I found Sydney? What if everything was suddenly ok? What if all the time spent searching was about to pay off?

There were too many possibilities, and it was making my head hurt. I finally decided to just stare out the window, stare at the blackness outside. Truth be told, it kind of made me think of myself, and a few other people I knew. It was hard to see anything. On the first glance, it seemed dark and empty. Looking longer and harder made no difference. There was still nothing. But you just knew something was there. Something had to be there. It couldn't just be a huge, empty, dark void.

Could it?

A while later, I was sitting in my hotel room, debating whether or not I should unpack the one suitcase I had brought. With nothing better to do, I eventually opted to organize everything into a pair of drawers. That only ended up killing 10 minutes. I still had over an hour to pass until I had to be at the phone.

With that in mind, I decided to go find something to eat, and then walk over to the phone. I had only expected breakfast to take 30 minutes, tops. But the kitchen was slow, and it was almost 9 by the time my food made its way to me. I had to eat and run.

The phone was already ringing as I passed the theater on Kevintod St. I flew into the booth and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" I gasped, more than a little out of breath. An all too familiar voice came across. "Agent Vaughn. I'm glad you made it."

Sorry it took so long to post this. I had intended to do it a few days ago, but then I got sick on Friday- 3 days before my birthday, how lame is that? Anyway… it also is a lot shorter than I had originally intended it to be, but that just seemed like a lovely little place to stop. I promise a longer chapter sometime soon! As always, please review!!


	6. Ch 6

Sorry it took so long to get this up! I've been sick, and then working on another story with a friend, and hanging out with friends, and all the usual birthday/holiday crap… but whatever. This isn't the big, long chapter; actually, it's probably going to be kinda short, I just wanted to get back into this since it's been so long. But I promise a long one is coming, cuz school starts in 4 days, and since they're gonna lock me in that place for 4 hours a day, that's plenty of time to do something useful! Maybe I'll even make time to do work this semester.. unique idea, isn't it? Enough rambling, I'm picking up with the last few lines of the last chapter, since it's been so long.

The phone was already ringing as I passed the theater on Kevintod St. I flew into the booth and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" I gasped, more than a little out of breath. An all too familiar voice came across. 

"Agent Vaughn. I'm glad you made it."

I could barely breathe, and not just because of the running. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" He laughed slightly, more of a smirk than anything. I looked around, trying to see if he was anywhere in sight. Naturally, he wasn't.

"I told you I'd be in touch, didn't I?" He had a point, but still… that was more than a little unexpected.

"Yeah, you did. But you haven't done so in almost 3 weeks, when you were in Nairobi. And I didn't expect that, the next time I heard from you, it would be when I was in New Zealand on Irina's suggestion!"

"That's certainly understandable. However, this isn't the best place for us to be discussing this. Turn around and head into the theater you flew by a few moments ago. We'll talk there." I would have replied, but he had already hung up. So I dropped the phone back into place and walked out of the booth, attempting to regain my composure. At least my breathing had finally steadied.

A moment later, I walked into the theater. It was definitely more private than the phone booth. I wondered when the last play had been performed here. It didn't look like it had seen much usage.

"It's been almost a year. Last February, actually," Jack said, almost as if he read my mind. I nodded to him and ran a hand over my jaw, noting that it had been 3 days since I shaved. But that wasn't important; Jack's presence in Auckland was. I looked at him, waiting for the explanation. He didn't disappoint.

"Surely, Agent Vaughn, you didn't expect that you were the only person I would be in touch with? Before I left, after I had spoken with you at the safehouse, I visited Irina. She gave me the names of a number of old contacts who owed her and would possibly be able to assist me. But she also knew that some of them would refuse to do business with anyone but her. So we agreed that she would stay in CIA custody until christmas. She would continue to assist you in efforts to bring down SD-6, and also in your search for Sydney. And we agreed that if Sydney was back on Christmas, Irina would remain in CIA custody. If, however, Sydney hadn't been found by then, we would meet in a neutral zone: New Zealand." It was a lot to take in, and I wasn't too happy about a lot of it.

"So I had to fly 12 hours in order to find this out?" Jack gave me a look.

"What would you have preferred? That Irina tell you this while she was being monitored by a dozen CIA cameras? Or would you rather I show up on your doorstep and let you know in person that way?" That calmed me down, for the most part. That was certainly understandable.

"Ok, you're right. I'm sorry. But Syd hasn't been found yet, has she?" Jack shook his head, and I sighed.

"So what next? Irina breaks herself out of the Joint Task Forces center and just hops a plane to New Zealand and we all catch up over a cup of coffee?" Jack gave me another look, and I knew I was pushing my luck. But I didn't appreciate being left in the dark. Besides, I didn't see how she would manage to get out of that place. The woman was impressive, sure, but still just one woman. Jack obviously anticipated my doubts, and launched into an explanation before I had even asked any questions.

"Sark is going to help get her out." That stumped me. Sark was in on it too? I wasn't sure how to react to that one; didn't he not know they were double agents? Or had Irina lied to Sydney about that?

"He found out about our double agent status, but not through Irina. She told Sydney the truth. Sark came to me a week after Sydney's disappearance. He told me that Sloane was suspicious, and that if I didn't answer his questions, he would provide ample evidence to confirm Sloane's paranoia." I had to interrupt.

"Like what? If he didn't know, how could he possibly confirm it?" I knew I should've had a second cup of coffee that morning.

"He had pictures. Of you with Sydney, me with Will, me at the warehouse. He said that if I didn't tell him what he wanted to know, he would see to it that Sloane came into possession of all of those."

"So what? That wouldn't prove anything, not about you anyway." I was starting to think I should've taken the whole pot of coffee when I left the restaurant.

"Under normal circumstances, you're right. Sloane would have brushed them away as Sark being paranoid. However, between the thing with Emily's non-death, and my frequent absences from SD-6, he would more than likely have bought into it this time, if only to give the Alliance something tangible, proof of a mole within. Something that would help his standing, which had been taking a beating in light of the numerous failed missions. Sark knew that just as well as I did. So I agreed to answer some questions, on the grounds that they didn't put Sydney in any more danger. I admitted that we were double agents, and that Irina had turned herself in to the CIA, which he had suspected given Sydney's knowledge of things that only 'The Man' had known. That was all he wanted to know. He then offered his assistance if the need arose." I had to cut him off again.

"How do you know Sark didn't give the photos to Sloane anyway?"

"That's what I thought he would do as well. However, I was still with SD-6 for almost 2 more months before the CIA decided to yank me out. In that time, Sark covered for me on more than a few occasions, even giving me credit on some of his missions. And he encouraged Sloane to continue the search for Sydney with a full SD-6 team. I may not like the guy, but he's proven himself, just as Irina has." Ignoring my shock at his admission of trust, I moved on to the next question.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before? I don't like the guy either, but if Sark and I had combined our efforts, things may have been different. If the three of us, and Irina, were all working together, we may have found Syd." Jack shook his head.

"The intel Irina and Sark have is very similar, if not identical. It would have been a waste of time, for the most part. Besides, you needed to concentrate on keeping your job so you could continue using CIA resources."

"Yeah, because those have obviously been so useful," I noted sarcastically.

"Actually, they have, somewhat." I waited for him to continue, knowing that there had to be more to the statement.

"The info you pulled up at the CIA, the stuff that sent me to Nairobi? I found something there. Someone, I should say. A man named Shannon Haas. He was able to get me in touch with one of Matthew Jericho's former associates, Jeffrey Copeland. Jeff had also worked with Irina and Sark in the past. He was in Battle Creek the night Sydney disappeared." Jack paused, as if searching for the words. I almost didn't want him to continue- what if he was about to tell me that Jeff Copeland had seen Sydney die? But something about his demeanor that morning, I knew that couldn't be it. He had almost seemed happy. I held my breath, not wanting to get my hopes up, but knowing they already were. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was really only 5 seconds, Jack spoke again.

"Jeff was in the car that picked Sydney up. They removed her earpiece and left it at Jericho's house. I don't know what happened to it, but you'll recall it wasn't there when we searched. At any rate, Sydney was knocked out and transported to a helicopter. That was the last Jeff saw of her, and he hasn't been in touch with them in the past few months. But he promised me something, Agent Vaughn: Sydney was alive when she left Battle Creek. And she still is."

Ok, it was a little longer than I thought it would be, but still, it wasn't Plath long. Not that Sylvia Plath wrote really long stuff, but whatever. The Bell Jar was a good book, just wanted to point that out. Anyway, can I get some reviews? Pretty please? The last 2 chapters combined haven't gotten what each of the first 3 got individually… did that make sense? Cuz I kinda just confuzed myself… hope this chapter didn't totally suck! And to everyone who's reviewed: thanks! You reek of so much awesomeness!


	7. Ch 7

Ok, for future reference, if you're going to go out and have a 6-hour softball practice with a college team, don't be surprised to find yourself in some kind of pain the next few days. That's my lesson for the day. And I believe I've figured out exactly what I want to do with this, so now I gotta figure out how to get there… this is just one small step in that direction, so it's not going to be amazingly long… sorry, but it will happen! You could always go read my newest fic 'Rest In Pieces,' while you wait… just a suggestion. *grin*

FYI- this takes a step back to when the woman disappeared as Vaughn answered his cell phone earlier, in ch. 4

I discreetly walk away from the guy at the bar. I've decided to move away for two reasons: first of all, he decided to answer his cell phone on the second ring. And judging by the look on his face and the words he- his name was Michael, I reminded myself- was saying, it had to be a pretty serious call. Besides, I've had my fair share of drinks, and I really need to use the little girls' room. I can't believe how crowded this place is. 

And I also can't believe how much I talked to Michael, how much I told him. Of course, I get the feeling he didn't really hear half of it. His mind seems to be focused on something else. I asked him a few questions while I was talking, and he didn't answer any of them. Not one. At first, I thought he was pretty rude. It didn't take me too long to figure out that he was just preoccupied with his own thoughts, whatever those may have been. I don't mind though. It's just nice to be able to talk about what a mess my life has become these last few years. I mean, it's never easy to lose a friend, but when you don't get any closure, not even a funeral… it can be downright impossible. I never realized how much I depended on my friends. Sure, I still have my work, and my other friends. It's not like I'm suddenly all alone in a world that doesn't give a shit. I know I have other people who still care about me. But that's cold comfort. I guess that saying really is true.

You never know what you have until you lose it.

My self-pitying musings stop as I finally reach my destination. The restroom here isn't the nicest I've ever seen, but this isn't exactly a high-class bar. It doesn't really matter though. 

Sometimes I think I should be a little more observant. As I once again try to make my way through the crowd to the bar, I catch tiny snippets of conversations, all of which sound either very odd or very interesting. I guess no normal people frequent this place. I don't think I'm normal anymore. 

And Michael Vaughn is definitely not.

That point is hammered home as I retake my seat next to him. He is promising someone on the other end that he will be able to ditch work at 2:30 tomorrow. Then he hangs up, and resumes his staring into nothingness. A frown mars his face momentarily before he wipes it away. I can't decipher half of the emotions that cross his face in the next few minutes, so I give up trying and just finish off my drink before ordering another. A loud sigh from next to me breaks my attention away from the glass, and I glance up. He seems unaware that he even made a noise. And his own drink- his second for that night- remains untouched. I may have just met him an hour ago, but one thing is very obvious.

Michael Vaughn is an intricate man with a lot to tell. But I'm not sure if he'll ever open up about any of it.

I decided that our other little alcoholic needed some time, so here this is. I'm not so sure I like how it came out. Was it too confuzing? At any rate, I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed this story: Macayla Jo Adams, Emily, jenni, Rosie Avocado, Freelove, lanabana, melia, PetrelGirl, UConnFan, hadassaknamu, RPGirl17, Vaughnscutie, Dreamer, elfjinx, lex, and all the anonymous reviewers.

Extra special thankies to PenguinFlavoredFilm, hardshoe, Songbird, SecretAgentGirl, Sk8erChick, coolbeans, and Sorcha for reviewing multiple times.

As always, review and I'll love you forever and ever!


	8. Ch 8

Almost 60 reviews… I feel special. You guys rock soo much! Any and all errors in this whole fic are mine, all mine, cuz I don't have a beta. Just thought I'd point that out, cuz I've noticed a few stupid mistakes when I reread… This chapter switches it back to Vaughn's POV. 

  
Jack and I sat at the small coffee shop, waiting, I presumed, for Irina and Sark. We remained in relative silence for almost an hour. I was still trying to process everything I had learned that morning. Syd was alive; that was the most important thing. Irina and Sark were our allies- I was still uncertain about that. And I was in New Zealand, in a coffee shop with Jack Bristow, at a time when I should have been home with my family, preparing for the holidays. But that didn't matter.

Sydney was alive.  
Maybe someday I could sit in a coffee shop with her, discussing plans for a family christmas. It was an appealing thought. Finally, around 11, I noticed Jack's eyes transfixed on something outside. Were Irina and Sark finally there? I turned to see for myself, and my eyes met the cool blue of Sark's. He stared at us for a moment before shaking his head briefly and disappearing into the streets of Auckland.  
I turned to see Jack with his eyes shut tightly. I had no idea what the whole exchange had meant, exactly, but it was quite obviously not good. And where was Irina? Was that why he had shaken his head, to indicate that he couldn't get her out of that cell? I had no answers, and it didn't look like Jack was going to be offering them anytime soon. 

My memory goes on hold briefly as I realize that the woman is once again seated next to me. I don't quite know when that happened. Not that I'm paying a lot of attention to the things around me. Some spy I am. She could have poisoned my drink and I wouldn't even have noticed. Paranoia kicks in and I glance at the glass beside me suspiciously. I sigh at my own idiocy and turn to stare at the wall again. She wouldn't kill me. That would be too easy. If there is a god, I don't think he could have that much mercy on me. 

I glance over as I feel her eyes on me. She smiles somewhat nervously, looking a bit embarrassed that I caught her looking. I smile a little to ease her nerves, then turn back and take a sip of my drink. I'm not even sure what it is anymore. I notice her fidgeting with a napkin. She folds it and unfolds it, then repeats the process two more times before she finally seems to gather the courage to say something else to me. 

"So, if you don't mind me asking- I mean, I don't want you to feel like you have to answer, because I'm just being nosy… actually, never mind. It's none of my business." She reminds me of Marshall. At least, of Sydney's descriptions of Marshall. I have to laugh at the comparison, prompting her to look at me quizzically. 

"Sorry, you just kinda reminded me of someone. You can go ahead and ask your question. I doubt it's something I haven't heard before." She smiles uncertainly, as I realize that's probably the longest sentence I've said all night. She folds the napkin again, but this time doesn't unfold it. 

"Um, what happened with your girlfriend... or whatever she was to you?" I kinda figured that was what she wanted to know. I don't mind answering, but this is definitely the first time I've spoken about Syd to anyone outside of the CIA. My family doesn't even know; it's just a lot easier to try to be normal around them, than to try to explain everything. And how do I explain anything to a complete stranger? 

"It was… complicated," I begin. Her words suddenly run through my mind. 'whatever she was to you.' What were we anyway? We were never 'officially' together, we never could be. Not with SD-6 still around. But I loved her, and I know she loved me. Our relationship was complex, and I don't really feel like explaining it to a stranger right now. 

"She had to go get something from this guy she knew in Michigan. She called me when she got there, and then again as she was on her way to the airport. But she never came back." Short, to the point, and more or less true. I leave out a few details, of course. Then I notice it.

A strange look has crossed her face. She tries to hide it, but is less than successful. Mentally, I go back over my words, trying to find something in them that may have been odd. There is nothing that I can see. But since she is now busy staring into her drink, looking deep in thought, I take the opportunity to continue reminiscing about what happened in New Zealand 4 years ago.

It took a few moments after Sark's disappearing act, but Jack finally opened his eyes and looked at me. He was silent for a minute, organizing his thoughts, before he spoke.

"Obviously, something has gone wrong. It seems most likely that whatever the problem is, it was on Irina's end. That means you need to get back to L.A. and figure out what. Keep your cell phone on and with you all day on christmas. I'll be in touch then." With that, he paid for both of our coffees and left. He dissolved into the crowd even faster than Sark had. Allowing ample time to be sure he was gone, I get up and head for my hotel. Within 20 minutes, everything was packed and I was on my way to the airport. I had absolutely no idea what to think of the situation. Had Kendall somehow caught wind of the planned escape? It was possible. The thought almost made me want to run away from the plane. I did not look forward to dealing with him if he found out about that.

12 hours later, I was home. I had not been apprehended the second I stepped off the plane, nor I had gotten any phone calls. I didn't know what to make of it. I had been home less than an hour when my cell phone rang. Thinking it was Jack, I answered without checking the caller ID.

"Vaughn."

"Get down here, now." A pissed off Kendall ordering me to the ops center the day before christmas. That couldn't be good. I quickly changed into a suit and made it there in record time. He was waiting impatiently.

"What the hell is going on, Agent Vaughn?" I frowned, having no clue what he was talking about.

"I don't know. I don't even know what you're referring to." He levels a hard stare at me. 

"What I'm referring to is the escape of Irina Derevko from this facility just hours after you left."

"Escape? She escaped?" But she hadn't shown up in Auckland, and Jack seemed to think that Sark hadn't been able to get her out. Kendall nodded, looking more and more angry by the second.

"How? Did she have help?" He glared at me again, though in a slightly less accusatory way this time.

"They don't know for certain, but I'm she must have. All of our communications were down for 3 minutes. When they came back, her cell was empty, and all of the guards were unconscious." That was a bad sign, and I had no way of getting in touch with Jack. I wouldn't be able to warn him until tomorrow.

"But only someone who knew the codes would be able to shut down all of the communications." His eyes met mine.  
"I know." Only then did I realize what should have been obvious all along: he thinks I helped her escape.

"Hey, wait a minute. You can't honestly believe-" he cut me off before I could finish my protest.

"Agent Vaughn, this is the first time anyone has been able to get in touch with you since you left her cell last night. You completely fell off the radar, and in that time, Irina Derevko managed to escape from this facility and disappear into thin air. So honestly, I most certainly can believe that you may have played a hand in this whole thing. You are, after all, the only person she has been willing to speak to in the last 2 years. I've been lenient with you, and your frequent requests for private meetings with Derevko, camera free. More often than not, I granted those requests. This, however, is not something that can be tolerated. Do you realize that I have been on the phone with Washington all morning, trying to explain how one of the most dangerous people in the world could have walked out of here?" I remained silent. He had a point; all of the evidence, no matter how circumstantial, pointed directly to me.

"Do you have anything to say, Agent Vaughn? Anything at all?" I could have very easily told him all about New Zealand. That would have gotten me off the hook right away. But I couldn't- I wouldn't- do that to Jack. Then I remembered that he needed me to remain in the CIA, to continue using any resources I could. I needed a way out of that mess, without implicating Jack or even Sark. But I came up with nothing but blanks.

"All I have to say is that I had nothing to do with this. You're right, all that evidence, when taken together, makes me look suspicious. And I have nothing I can offer you that would prove otherwise. But I swear to you, I did not help Irina Derevko escape. The last place she should be is out, free to do what she wants." Kendall continued to stare at me, and I could tell that he wanted to believe me. I didn't know if my word was enough to convince him though. Finally, he nodded. 

"I believe what you're saying, Agent Vaughn. I do. But I can't guarantee that anyone else will." I sighed lightly; that was one hurdle cleared. Having him on my side would help in the long run. But I knew that if this went to any kind of trial, I would only have one option.

I would have to go on the run.  


  
All my teachers are being pretty cool so far. Not a lot of homework, which means time to write. Ok, now I just have to tell you all something that happened when I was doing my German homework last night: part of the assignment was trying to translate movie ads. One of the movies was 'Nacht Uber Manhattan' which means Night Over Manhattan or something of the like. At any rate, that one caught my eye because one of the people listed in that ad was Lena Olin. That was just the funniest thing in the world to me… especially at 1 am… so yeah. That's my fun story of the day.  



	9. Ch 9

Sorry the delay in updating… was 'Phase One' totally awesome, or what? My only complaint… no Irina! Ah well. And poor Francie… speaking of, she seems to be the popular choice for the woman at the bar. Any particular reason? I'm kinda curious…

Christmas that year was, needless to say, not the best I'd ever had. Sydney had been gone for 2 years, and with the possible threat of an investigation into Derevko's escape looming over my head the whole time, I was in less than high spirits. My family obviously noticed but thankfully, they were kind enough not to comment. 

About 5 minutes into dinner, my cell rang. I knew it had to be Jack; no one else would call me on christmas. But recalling what had happened last time I assumed it to be Jack, I checked the caller ID, just in case. I was right. My mother was giving me the most reproachful look, so I shrugged apologetically.

"This one is important. I have to take it, but I'll keep it short." With that, I got up and moved to a more secluded area. It didn't seem like a good idea to talk to Jack Bristow about the woman who had killed my father while my family was eating dinner.

"Where are you? Have you found anything?" Not the most polite way to start a conversation, but we had long ago dropped the formalities.

"Berezniki, Russia, and no, I haven't. What about you? Do you know why Irina wasn't there?" There it was: the part I had been dreading.

"Uh… yeah. She escaped, apparently around the same time as I got on the plane out to New Zealand."

"Ok. So where is she now? Why wasn't she with Sark?"

"I can't answer those questions. All I know is what Kendall told me."

"And what, precisely, did Kendall tell you?" I repeated to him everything that Kendall had told me.

"Does he think you had something to do with it?"

"No. He did at first, but he said he believes me when I say I had nothing to do with it. On the other hand, he did warn me that there are probably plenty of people who won't believe me. This could go to an investigation."

"If that happens, you need to exercise extreme caution. Play your cards very carefully. I'll be in touch more often." With that, the line went dead. I turned back to the dining room to find my mother watching me closely. I somehow got the impression that she had heard some of the conversation. She didn't press, only asking me if everything was ok. I gave her a nod and a smile as I retook my seat. There was only one thought on my mind: why wasn't Jack more concerned with Irina? 

This chapter was originally going to be longer, and deal much more with Irina, but I started a new college class- US History- today so I gotta get to work on that. I wonder if I could get away with doing a report on Alias…

Now I want to thank everyone who has reviewed the past few chapters: Jade (every chapter reviewed, thanks!), hardshoe, Ninlofus, SecretAgentGirl, lynn, Ice, Samantha, serendipity112233, snowangel, J. Turenne, chatnoir, betttina (thanks for the info about Alias in Germany) and AlexJ (thanks for the e-mail)

For once, I have a really busy day tomorrow, but I'll try to get a new chapter up, cuz I love Irina- and all of you!- so much. If not, I should be able to get it up by Friday.


	10. Ch 10

Thanks for the reviews. You guys rock!

New Years came and went without much notice from me. The only significance was that I needed to go buy a new calendar so I could keep track of meetings with Jack. Oh, and I couldn't forget, there was also the possibility of facing another year without Sydney.

New Years Eve, 2004, was less than exciting.

At work a week later, my cell phone rang, disrupting my thoughts about lunch. Following the ring tone, I located the object and picked it up to inspect the caller ID. I didn't recognize the number. I bit my lip momentarily, not sure if I should answer. Finally, I did.

"Vaughn," I sighed, sure it wouldn't be Jack.

"Get out of there, now," said a voice that was vaguely familiar, but obviously masked.

"What? Why? Who is this?"

"Actions now, questions later, Mr. Vaughn."

"You're giving me nothing to go on," I protested, though at that same time as I was peeking out the door of my office.

"It's about the time you normally go for lunch. Take a walk to the park, and your questions will be answered. If you are not satisfied then, you can forget all about this." 

"Fine," I sighed, reaching for my jacket and searching for my keys.

"Walk, I said. Do not take your car." That stopped me cold. Whoever it was, they were watching me at that moment.

"Get moving, you're running out of time." I shook myself and walked out the door, trying to maintain a semblance of calm. As I walked out to the street, I thought of something.

"Which park? As you may know, there is more than one in L.A."

"Just keep walking, Agent Obvious. The first one you'll come to is the one I referred to." I bristled at the little nickname, and looked around casually, trying to see if I could spot her anywhere.

"What do you think, I'm going to be walking right behind you?" At that, I stopped walking.

"You know what, I just walked out of my office at lunch on your word, and your word alone. You didn't give me a good reason, but I did. I'm dealing with you following me, seemingly knowing every move I make. And now you throw in these smart-ass comments. What makes you so sure I'm not going to just turn around and walk back to my office and find Weiss and go get some of that crap they pass off as food? Why are you so sure I'm not going to do just that?"

"Because you'll do anything, and put up with anything, if it brings you one step closer to finding Sydney." I sighed and continued walking as the park came into view. I absolutely despised the situation.

Once again, she was holding all the cards. 

After a few more moments of walking in silence, her voice came through again. 

"Park bench, straight ahead." With that, she hung up. I could see the bench she had indicated, but there was no one in sight. Great place for a covert meeting: the middle of a crowded park, just a 5-minute walk from the Joint Task Forces center. I suddenly wondered if this was the same park Syd had run through on her way to the Ops Center each time.

I sat down at the bench and moments later, two people joined me. Under the wigs, I recognized them as Sark and Irina. I frowned as one question immediately came to mind.

"Have you two been working together the whole time?" Irina shook her head lightly.

"No. I did not lie to Sydney. However, Sark has always been loyal to me, so I knew I could count on him to help us out. That was why I told Jack to contact Sark if we had to meet in New Zealand." There was another thing.

"Why weren't you in New Zealand? Sark showed up, however briefly."

"Something went wrong when I was escaping. The security and all communications were supposed to be down for 5 minutes; instead, they were down for only 3. I had to improvise, and in so doing, the plan changed. I've been in Canada the past few weeks, waiting for things to calm down."

"How did you get out of your cell? And up to Canada?"

"What is this, 20 questions?" Sark interjected, sounding annoyed. Irina held up a hand.

"He has a right to know some of these things." Sark nodded stiffly and turned to watch our surroundings, presumably on the lookout for any kind of danger.

"I can't tell you that, Agent Vaughn. A woman doesn't reveal all of her secrets." I frowned, but let it pass. There were more important things to worry about. Another thought crossed my mind.

"Does Jack know any of this?" Irina frowned slightly, looking almost confused.

"No, he doesn't. I haven't spoken to him since the day he left. Why?" I shook my head, clearing out some of my suspicions about Jack.

"Nothing, never mind. Why did you tell me to get out of there, and that I was running out of time?"

"Because there were 3 men on their way to question you, presumably about my disappearance," she said simply. My eyes widened slightly.

"What? So I just ran from an interrogation?"

"Well you didn't know they were on their way, so no. You didn't run from them, you just wanted to enjoy some time at the park."

"They don't know that I didn't know! They're already suspicious enough, no thanks to you. This isn't going to help matters." Sark rolled his eyes, an action that didn't go unnoticed by myself or Irina. She merely hid a smile, while I glared at him.

"Any more questions?" Irina asked, stopping a war before it could begin.

"Yeah. Why did you bring me out here? Why not just tell me on the phone?"

"We wanted to have a picnic, and catch up on old times in person. You have such a vibrant personality, don't you know?" Sark tossed out.

"A picnic? So where's the food?" I threw back. Irina gave us each a fairly annoyed look.

"We don't have time for this. I need to get in touch with Jack. How do I do that?" I shrugged, and she gave me a look.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I mean, I don't know. He always calls me. Safer that way." Irina nodded. 

"I suppose that's true. We'll have to work that way also. Next time he gets in touch, give him this number. As soon as I speak to him, that cell phone will be turned off." She handed me a piece of paper with a number on it.

"I'll be in touch." I sighed. I heard that a lot. Irina and Sark stood up and started to walk away, before Irina stopped and turned around.

"By the way…" I glanced up, and she tossed something my way. I almost thought it might be a grenade or something of the like, until I realized that it was just a sandwich. I looked at her in confusion.

"They'll be waiting for you. You won't have time to eat." With a brief smile, she turned and disappeared with Sark. I glanced down at the sandwich in my hands. Turkey. Not one of my favorites, but I was definitely hungry enough to eat it and be grateful.

As predicted, there were 3 men waiting for me when I returned. They didn't ask anything to specific, so it was easy for me to say I had no idea about anything. After they had left, it occurred to me that it would have been a lot smarter for Irina and Sark to wait until after the questioning to get in touch with me. That way, I really wouldn't have known anything. But then again, Irina Derevko rarely made sense to me.

Whoo. So that's that. Next chapter will get back to the bar. And I'm thinking there are only 2-3 more chapters left, tho I could be wrong- it's been known to happen on occasion. Anyway, give me lots of reviews, and I'll be inspired to update quicker! Plus, I'd be super excited if I reach 100… what can I say? I'm blonde (for the next 2 months), and I'm easily amused…


	11. Ch 11

As always, thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions and such. Sorry for the long wait (as if you're all sitting at your computer waiting for the next installment) but I've been busy. I won't bore you with details, so it's on to the story now…

We're going back to the bar with this one, as promised, starting with her POV before switching to his.

I feel his eyes on me as I stare into my drink. After a few seconds, he turns away and falls back into his own thoughts, whatever those may be. I'd really like to keep talking to him, but I've become too preoccupied with what he said.

His girlfriend disappeared in Michigan. So did my best friend. Is it possible… no, not it's not. I'm just being exceedingly silly. I shake my head and almost laugh out loud at myself. I sneak another glance at Michael. He looks really deep in thought. At one point, a smile briefly haunts his face. I can't help but wonder what brings that on. Maybe I'll have time to ask him later. 

I sigh a little. I'm being way too nosy tonight. The guy doesn't need some chick he doesn't even know digging into his personal issues, even if they do go back 6 years. The smile has now disappeared, transformed into a very serious look.

Maybe I should leave him alone. He doesn't look like he wants to have someone prying into his life right now. I almost get up and leave, but then I decide that I want to at least say goodbye. So I guess I'll be hanging out for a while longer. I don't want to interrupt him right now. He looks so intense.

With that thought in mind, I order another drink and get myself comfortable. This might take a while.

******* *******

It seems like she wants to leave. She started to get up a moment ago, but then fell back into her seat and asked for another drink. I wonder why. If she wants to go, why would she stay? Maybe she's drunk. I have no idea how many she's had tonight. I'm only on my second, and that's not even half-gone. I've been here over an hour now; usually by this time, I'd be getting ready for my fifth. I guess I'm just too caught up in my thoughts tonight. This has only ever happened once before, and I remember that time perfectly, too.

I had been there for just 30 minutes when someone sat next to me. I began to take a sip of my second drink when a hand grabbed the glass and yanked it away. I stood up, ready for a fight, when I caught a pair of familiar, if angry, eyes glaring at me. We stared at each other for a moment, and the bartender took a cautious step closer.

Finally, Will motioned for me to sit back down as he slammed the glass onto the bar. I was amazed that it didn't break, until I noticed that the liquid was all over the bar now. Reluctantly, I took my seat as he sat in the vacant spot next to me. He hadn't changed much in the two years since I had last seen him. He continued to stare at me, and I began to think that he was waiting for me to say something. But he had been the one to initiate this meeting- however unpleasantly- so he could be the one to talk. 

He eventually seemed to realize my line of thought, as he looked around somewhat nervously before turning to me again.

"What the hell happened Vaughn?" I gave him a look; he should know I couldn't tell him.

"How'd you manage to find me?" He rolled his eyes, and I almost laughed. It looked very childish, at least to me. I kept my amusement to myself and waited for his answer.

"Do you know where I just was last night?" I shrugged, feeling less than amused with the game of 20 questions we had going on.

"Want to give me back my drink?"

"I've been in Michigan for the past month. I don't think I need to tell you why I was there."

"No Will, you don't need to tell me why you were wasting your time. She's not there."

"Yeah, I figured that one out. So what the hell is going on? Is anyone looking for her? Have you found anything?" I glared at him.

"Is anyone looking? What kind of question is that?"

"A valid one, from where I'm sitting."

"Then you'd better find yourself a better seat. Jack is out there, all over the world, looking 24/7. And I spend as much time as possible looking for her with CIA resources. And now, Irina is looking too. If we can't find her, what hope do you possibly have?" He looked wounded, and I was half tempted to apologize. But recalling his implication that I had given up my search for Sydney, I merely snatched my drink from him and took another sip.

"Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?" I thought for a few moments, but came up empty.

"There's nothing I can think of right now that I would be able to get you involved in. I can't have you working with Irina and Sark, and Jack would be too dangerous. The CIA is still trying to catch him. If I come up with anything, I'll call you…" I trailed off as I realized I had probably said too much. Will was giving me the strangest look in the world, almost as if someone were strangling him.

"Sark?" He almost shouted. I looked around quickly.

"Keep your voice down. Yelling the names of international fugitives in crowded L.A. bars is not generally a good idea. And yes, he's working with us."

"And what about Jack on the run?"

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned in. But trust me, Will- all four of us are doing everything we can." He nodded.

"I know. I'm sorry. You'll let me know if you find anything?"

"You'll be one of the first ones I call," I promised. He nodded again.

"Thanks man. So, uh… how are you doing?" I shrugged.

"I'm surviving. How about you?"

"I'm doing ok. Better than Francie, at any rate. This has been really hard on her. I at least had some idea of what happened. Francie has no clue. So she's been keeping herself really busy with her restaurant." He seemed to realize he was starting to ramble, as he stopped and looked at the bar. 

"I had almost forgotten about her restaurant. Maybe I'll go there some night instead of coming here." Will nodded briefly and then looked up at me.

"Hey, uh, do you need a ride home or anything?" I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm ok." He gave me a look.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Don't worry, I don't intend to drive myself home drunk. Dying isn't part of my plan to find Syd. Besides, Jack and Irina would be pissed." Will almost looked amused at the idea of me worrying about their wrath if I died. Finally, he nodded.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you around man. I'll keep an eye out for you at Francie's." He tossed a few dollars on the bar in front of me, presumably to cover the drink that he had spilled half of- and then got up and left. I just sat there for the next hour, not touching my drink again, before I finally got up and left. Tomorrow would be a long day- Irina and Jack were both supposed to call- and I needed to get some sleep.

Again, thanks for reviews. Let me know if this is getting hard to follow or anything. So who's seen Daredevil? I saw it the day it came out, and then again on Sunday. Jennifer Garner is absolutely awesome and, damn, Colin Farrell is hot. I love his accent… anyway, please review, this is coming to the end. I know exactly what I'm going to do, all your questions should be answered, and I hope to have the next chapter up later this week. Not sure how many are left, but we're getting there…


	12. Ch 12

I am getting so bad with the updates… and I used to be so good about it! Sorry guys! I'll try to update more frequently, especially since this is really drawing to the end now.   
  
  
Irina and Jack both called the next day, as planned. Jack had nothing new; he just wanted to check in. Irina, on the other hand, wanted me to go with her to Mexico City. She said she had gotten in touch with a highly reliable informant- he apparently called himself Mysterio- who had spotted an old contact of Matthew Jericho in Mexico. Irina believed that this man, Colin Michaels, would be able to give us some kind of information. So I agreed to make the trip with her. What other option was there?  
I called in sick to work the next day. Kendall didn't believe a word I said, and I knew it. So I gave him plenty of disgusting details about the symptoms of my illness, and he quickly told me to take the day off, but to be back at work the day after. Grinning triumphantly, I hung up and drove to the park to meet Irina. That was the standard meeting place for the rare occasions that we needed to talk in person.   
Irina was there, waiting, in a disguise you could easily see through if you were actively looking for her, which I was. She looked nervous as she led me out of the park and to her waiting Dodge. She gave the park one last anxious sweep before checking to make sure she had her gun and then starting the Viper.  
"Is there something I should know?" I questioned uncertainly. Her behavior was definitely out of character for what I had come to know as Irina. She gave me a quick glance before flying onto the freeway and heading for the airport.  
"I was just a bit nervous."  
"Yeah, I noticed. Care to tell me why?" She gave me another glance before maneuvering around a big rig and shooting past a car that was going 80. I cringed slightly, wondering if I would even make it to the airport.  
"They kept looking at me," she said. That drew my attention to her face and away from her driving.  
"What? Who did?" I asked, thinking she sounded highly paranoid and slightly insane.  
"Everyone there! They all kept looking at me, and it made me think maybe some of them were CIA and had recognized me." I stared at her for a moment.  
"I don't suppose they were just looking at you because you have green hair at the moment, were they?" Irina looked almost startled, and quickly turned to the rearview mirror. She grimaced.  
"I didn't realize Sark had given me the green one. Actually, I specifically told him not to." She seemed annoyed, so I stayed quiet for the rest of the drive, trying to get over the image of her with green hair. An hour later, she was blonde, I had blue eyes, and we were about to get on the plane.  
"So does he always pick your wigs?" I asked once we were settled in our seats.  
"No. Actually, I usually do it, because when he picks, he always goes for the weird colors." I had to smile at that, an image of Irina with neon pink hair coming to mind, soon followed by the memory of Syd with her electric blue hair. That wiped away the smile, and caused me to give Irina a look of distrust before I turned to look out the window.

        The rest of the flight was spent in silence. Irina finally spoke once we had landed in Mexico City.

        "There's a car waiting for us. It should only take us half an hour to get there." I nodded and followed her to the car, which turned out to be a less than impressive black pickup truck- something I could never have imagined Irina Derevko behind the wheel of.

 True to her word, Irina had us there in 27 minutes. I got the feeling that may have had a bit more to do with her driving than anything else, but I didn't comment. Our destination turned out to be a small, ramshackle, isolated house, with a long dirt driveway. Irina looked around cautiously before proceeding.

It took about a minute to get all the way up the driveway. Just as Irina parked, we heard a car start up. Irina quickly threw open the door and got out. As she did so, a black car flew by. Irina stood and stared at it until it disappeared from sight. I also got out and looked at it, but there seemed to be nothing remotely special about the car, so I turned and shut my door before stopping to wait for Irina. After a moment, she sighed and joined me. I looked at her curiously, but she ignored me and walked towards the house. I followed.

We knocked on the door and waited in silence. No one came, so Irina pounded on it. A moment later, a young woman came running. She stood in the open door and looked at both of us briefly before nodding slightly and speaking in perfect English.

"Can I help you?"

"We're looking for Colin Michaels. A friend of mine said I could find him here." The woman nodded briefly. 

"Stay here. I'll go get him." She shut the door, and I heard her turn the lock. Irina raised an eyebrow.

"Like that would stop us if we wanted in." I smiled.

"Do you know anything about this Colin Michaels? Where he's from, if he speaks Spanish…"

"From what my contact said, Michaels is originally from Texas. That girl is probably his younger sister, and I doubt that she speaks anything but English. Michaels, on the other hand, speaks Spanish and German fluently, as well as some Portuguese." I nodded.

"So that's why she answered in English. She looks like-" I stopped as the door opened. The girl stood there, with a man I assumed to be Colin Michaels at her side. They each stepped onto the porch, and Michaels turned to his sister and signed something. I was surprised, and wondered if we had the wrong guy. The girl turned back to us.

"He said to tell you he's sorry, but he lost his hearing in an accident a year ago." Irina nodded.

"That's ok. I know sign language." She gave the girl a look, and she took the hint, stepping back into the house and shutting the door. Irina turned and began to sign to Michaels, translating everything along the way.

"Do you know Sydney Bristow? He says no. Have you heard of Sydney Bristow? No." She reached for her wallet and pulled out a picture. "Have you seen this girl, ever? No." She glanced towards me and I shrugged lightly. She frowned as she turned back to Michaels. I watched as her hand went into her pocket and pulled out the keys. She glanced at them and for the first time, I noticed that the truck had an alarm. That would have made me laugh, but her next question threw me off.

"Are you really Colin Michaels?" He looked alarmed, but she gave him a disarming smile. Finally, he nodded. Irina sighed, and idly pushed the button on the car alarm. I turned as the noise started. Irina pushed the button again a moment later, and the racket subsided. I turned back to see her wearing a secret, triumphant smile.

"Well, unless you can think of anything else to ask…" she began, looking towards me. I was about to respond when she shocked me by turning and punching Michaels in the nose. He recovered, blood now pouring down his face, and reached into his jacket, pulling out a gun. Before he could even raise it, Irina had kicked it from his hand and knocked him out with a blow to the neck.

A shot was suddenly fired, causing both of us to jump and duck. We finally realized it had come from inside the house, and we rushed in to find Michaels' sister struggling with a large rifle. Irina took her down while I went to bring Michaels in. Irina tossed his sister into the basement, and I tied him to a chair. I smacked his face a few times, and he quickly came around.

"I'm not telling you anything," he said angrily.

"If we were, perhaps, the US government, you would have rights here. But, as you may have guessed, I am not. So you have two options, Mr. Michaels: you can answer some questions, or I can shoot you and your sister both. Which is it going to be?" I could see fear in his eyes. He turned to me a moment later.

"You won't kill me. He wouldn't let you." I shook my head and turned my back as Irina pulled her gun and pointed it at him. His defenses all crumbled at that moment.

"I'll tell you, just don't shoot me!"

"Good idea. Do you know who Sydney Bristow is? Has she been here?" He nodded, keeping his eyes on her gun, which was now by her side.

"She just left here, right before you showed up!"

"Left, or was taken away?" I butted in.

"She was taken away."

"The black car," Irina said softly. I nodded, unable to say anything as I realized just how close we had been to Sydney. Irina turned back to him.

"How long was she here?"

"A few months at most."

"And what happened to her while she was here?"

"She was…" he paused, looking from her to me. "She was interrogated." I could see Irina's eyes narrow, and I knew he would be lucky to get out of this alive. She leaned closer to him.

"Interrogated? In what way?" He nodded towards a desk I was standing by. I pointed at an envelope sitting there, and he nodded again. I picked it up, but Irina grabbed it from my hands. She ripped it open, and I could see that there were pictures in there. I still couldn't tell what they were of. After looking through them quickly, Irina glanced up at me, and I could see an indefinable look of hatred in her eyes. She shoved the pictures back and tossed the envelope at me.

"Who has Sydney now?" She continued her questioning as I pulled the pictures out. I could only manage to look at two before I threw them all across the room. They were images of Sydney being tortured. 

Irina glanced up at me apologetically before turning back to Michaels.

"Answer the question."

"I don't know. I swear, I don't!" He protested as she raised the gun again.

"How did you know to get her out of here today?"

"An old associate called to warn me."

"An old associate? Who?" He shrugged.

"I don't know the guys name, he always uses a different alias." Irina turned away and cursed under her breath.

"What is it?" I asked, finally regaining my voice.

"Mysterio is playing both sides. I'm going to kill him."

"Wait, how do you know it was him?"

"He double crossed me once before."

"And he's still alive to do it again?"

"It was just before I turned myself in to the CIA. I thought I had taught him a lesson… I guess not." I said nothing, not really wanting to know about her ways of teaching lessons. She shook her head. 

"Let's go. Whoever has Sydney, they're long gone by now." I nodded, thinking in the back of my mind that I should probably grab the pictures, but not having the stomach to do so. Irina didn't touch them either. We were on the porch when Irina stopped. After a moment of contemplation, she turned around, opened the door, and fired five shots. Over her shoulder, I could see Colin Michaels' lifeless body, covered in blood. And I couldn't care less.

Once we were in the car, on the way back to the airport, I asked the question that had been on my mind for a while now.

"How did you know?"

"What, that he wasn't deaf?" I nodded.

"Early on, I thought I saw him jump when the door slammed as his sister went in. I tried to think of a way to test it, without being obvious. Then I remembered that I had noticed an alarm on the truck keys."

"And when you hit the alarm, he looked at the truck?" She nodded. I sat there, stunned. I hadn't noticed anything off about his performance. The rest of the trip, including the plane, was made in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts about Syd.

As we pulled into LA, Irina turned to me.

"Are you going to tell the CIA?"

"Of course! They might be able to act on… oh." She nodded at me. 

"I doubt they'd be of any use. All they would want is for you to tell them where I am."

"I could just leave you out of it." 

"They'd look into it. Once they found out that you traveled with a blonde woman…" I nodded in defeat.

"I'll talk to Jack. We'll be in touch," she said lightly as she faded into the crowd. I knew there was no point in waving, or nodding, or anything- she would be gone by now. So I returned to my apartment long enough to change, and then headed for the bar.

See, look! Longer than usual! Review for me! I seriously have no more than 5 chapters left (probably less) until this thing wraps up, and I would love to get 100 reviews!


	13. Ch 13

Well, SOMEONE just wouldn't leave me alone about being evil and not updating… so here's an update. I think I like this chapter… even if I did have the idea at 3 am… but ya know, sleep is just so overrated…

I am broken from my reverie as the woman next to me almost falls into my lap. I frown in distaste at her drunken state, until she straightens up and smiles at me apologetically. I realize she's not drunk, just exceptionally tired. It is, after all, 2:47 in the morning. She yawns deeply and begins to stand. I can see that while she may not be drunk, she's had more than she should if she intends to drive anywhere. 

I haven't even finished my second drink.

"Can I give you a ride somewhere? Please don't be offended, but you don't quite look capable of driving." She smiles at me gratefully.

"No offense taken at all. Actually, I would really appreciate that. Thank you so much. I'll have a friend bring me back to get my car tomorrow. I'll give you directions on the way." I nod, we each hand some money to the bartender, and I lead her to my car. I almost miss the first turn, because she is falling asleep against the window. She startles herself into awareness and quickly points out a right turn. I almost laugh at the look of shock on her face as I squeal around the corner. At least she's awake now.

She proceeds to tell me whenever I need to turn, and soon assures me we are just a few minutes away. I'm too preoccupied to respond. I've never been in this area before, but the names of all the streets are very familiar. They are emblazoned into my memory.

They are the same street names I studied repeatedly in my search for Sydney.

I frown and try to keep my emotions in check. It's just such a bizarre coincidence. And it only gets stranger when I realize the final street she is directing me down is the same street Syd used to live on. I hit the brakes as a stop sign appears out of nowhere. 

"Uh… Michael? Are you ok?" I realize that I've been stopped far longer than necessary. Nodding mutely, I lightly step on the gas and move forward, waiting for her to tell me which house. Time inches by ever so slowly as I wait to find out just how close to Sydney this woman once lived. A moment later, the question is answered, as she tells me it's the next house on the right.

I pull into the driveway and squint to see the number on the house, trying to guess how far she would have been from Syd. When I can finally make out the number, I almost go into shock. 

She didn't live near Sydney; she lived with Sydney.

I slowly turn to face her, and find her giving me the strangest look.

"I… I never got your name," I manage, not truly needing an answer, but in desperate need of verification.

"Francie. Francie Calfo…" she trails off as I shut my eyes. Before I even have a chance to react, to think, to breathe, I feel tears threatening. A moment later, they are flowing, and I can't stop them.

Francie's POV

I have no idea how to respond to this unexpected display of emotion. It's almost 3 AM, I'm tired, and I'm slightly drunk. Under those conditions, how does one react when a man starts crying at hearing your name? He takes a few deep breaths, and manages to calm himself down, at least enough to talk. Which is a good thing, because I'm starting to get a little worried and a lot scared.

"I'm sorry Francie. This is going to be very strange for you to hear, and you might not believe me, but it's all true." He stops, and doesn't look at me.

"Michael? Keep going. Please." He turns to stare out the window before finally leveling his gaze on me again. After sorting through his thoughts for a moment, he speaks again.

"I knew Sydney." It feels like a shot to the gut, hearing him say that. So short and simple, nothing to it. I almost want to dispute the possibility. Suddenly, it all falls into place.

"The girl you talked about… who disappeared six years ago... oh my god." He nods slowly. I think my jaw might be on the floor, but I'm too shocked to care.

"You're Michael, the guy from the bank… the one she mentioned a few times. But I don't get it… it's just, I'm so confused now." He runs a hand through his hair and looks away again. 

"Francie, it's… look, there are some things about Syd that you don't know, that she couldn't tell you." I frown.

"What do you mean? Did you two get married or something?" He shakes his head, a small smile lighting his lips briefly.

"No, it's a lot deeper and more complicated than that. But now isn't a good time. Can we meet tomorrow?" I nod.

"Yeah, tomorrow's fine. I have a restaurant-" his nodding makes me pause, until I figure Syd must have mentioned it at some point.

"We can meet there. What time?" He asks.

"Um… I don't know…"

"Does 2 work for you?" I shrug.

"Yeah, sure that's fine, I guess. Um… you know where it is?" He nods again and I open the door to get out.

"Ok. I'll see you there at 2. I'll tell you everything I can then."

And of course, no one saw THAT coming… except for everyone who did… hee. Yeah, that was the plan all along (aside from one point where I wanted to go a different direction) and I know you all pretty much had it figured out from, like, chapter 3, but it was fun not telling you… so now I think I have one more chapter, maybe two, left to go.


	14. Ch 14

Ooh, look! I'm updating… in what could be record time… are you amazed? Cuz I sure am…

FF.net: I'm suddenly getting almost no reviews on this, and it makes me sad. I don't like to be the kind of author who won't update if I don't get 12.47 reviews or more, but if I'm not getting anything, I don't see the point in updating here. Sorry, not trying to be threatening or anything… not that I think anyone would be scared… anyway, on to the fic.

Today is passing by very slowly. I've been up since 6; it's now 11:30. Most of that time has been spent on figuring out exactly what I'm supposed to tell Francie when I go meet her at her restaurant in about two hours. Until that time comes, I have plenty of time to think, and that's all I have been doing.

After Irina and I got back from Mexico, it was another 2 weeks before I heard from her again. During that time, however, I received four calls from Jack. The first one, which came the day after the trip to Mexico, was none too happy.

"Agent Vaughn, where the hell were you? I tried to call you twice yesterday."

"I went to Mexico… with Irina. Wait- why did you call twice? Did something important happen?"

"Why did you go to Mexico with Irina and Sark?"

"Sark didn't go, it was just Irina. Jack, is something going on?"

"Alliance headquarters was bombed. What happened in Mexico?" My mind stuck on the Alliance bombing- probably partially because I didn't want to be the one to tell him what had happened, and I hoped to delay it. But something about it bothered me.

"Alliance headquarters was bombed? How can you just say that so casually and move on to the next topic?"

"Because right now, Agent Vaughn, the Alliance is not my main focus. Until I know Sydney is back and safe, I don't care what the Alliance and SD-6 wish to do. Now tell me what happened in Mexico." I knew he was getting annoyed; he called me 'Agent Vaughn' for the second time in the space of five minutes. By that time, things had progressed to the point of near friendship. He usually just called me Vaughn, and sometimes even Michael.

"Agent Vaughn." His impatient, brook no argument tone quickly snapped me out of my thoughts. I sighed, and proceeded to offer a brief but accurate synopsis of what had happened in Mexico.

"She was there? In a car not 10 feet away, and you didn't get her?"

"What did you expect us to do? Hijack the car in hopes of finding Sydney in the back? We expected Michaels' to have information that would lead us to somewhere else, not to actually have been holding Syd!"

"What about the pictures?"

"What about them?" I asked, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I felt sick all over again at the very thought of the images.

"Did you bring them back?"

"No." He sighed, and once again I knew he was angry. But I think he understood the reasoning behind it, because he didn't press the issue. Before I could ask him any questions about the Alliance headquarters, he spoke again.

"I'll be in touch Vaughn. Be careful." And then, as always, he was gone. He called again the next day, just to check in he said. But I got the distinct feeling that something was up. Jack wouldn't say a word, not that I was surprised. The whole scene was repeated when he called 4 days later, though this time he made it even more unsettling, by adding one last comment just before he hung up.

"Vaughn, be careful, and be ready." I had no clue what he meant, and no way to figure it out.

Finally, 11 days after returning from Mexico, he called one more time.

"You're not busy tomorrow?" I really didn't know if that was a question, or if he was telling me I wasn't busy. Either way, it took a moment for me to answer.

"No, I'm not. Why? What's going on?"

"Meet me in Toronto tomorrow night."

"What? Toronto, Canada?"

"No, Toronto, Brazil. Of course I mean Canada."

"Can you at least tell me why? If it's not directly relating to Syd, I don't want to go all the way out there. I can just as easily stay here and keep trying to dig up dirt on Michaels and his associates."

"Vaughn, Colin Michaels is dead, and dead men tell no tales. However, live ones do. And trust me, you want to hear what this one has to say." I sighed. There he went with his cryptic statements again. He was beginning to remind me more and more of Irina.

"Who is it Jack, and what does he have to say? Can't you just paraphrase."

"No! Michael, this is important. You need to be there." I heard urgency in his voice, and that was what finally swayed me.

"All right. I'll be there, Jack. Where are we meeting?" He laid out the specifics and I went to Kendall to work something out. He was too caught up in trying to catch Irina again to worry about me, so he told me to take the day off. In all honesty, I think he was just getting sick of me, and was more than happy to have me away for at least one day.

That night, I was only at the bar for 20 minutes. I had one drink, and then I headed home to pack. I didn't think I'd actually need anything, but it never hurt to be prepared.

The next afternoon, I was disembarking in Toronto. We were meeting at an abandoned hockey rink- Jack seemed to favor old, abandoned buildings for discreet meetings- and I didn't want to be late. I finally found the building, and paused outside, steeling myself for whatever Jack had waiting for me inside. After taking a moment to gather my composure, I walked in.

No amount of preparation could have had me ready to walk in and see Jack Bristow standing with Irina Derevko, while Sark stood off to one side, and Marcus Dixon sat near them.


	15. Ch 15

See, look! I'm trying to update quick, cuz all you people who have reviewed rock so very much!

FF.net: thanks guys. I guess we can call that my slight crisis of self doubt or something… I forget the word… but either way, I really appreciate the reviews, and no worries, I will see this thing through!

SD-1: Ahh! Not the GabsSporkers! (You can't see, but I'm trembling in fear right now…)

I stared at the other occupants of the room. Irina gave me her usual serenely calm look; Jack looked almost apologetic; Sark seemed bored; and Dixon was obviously confused.

"Who is that?" he asked, turning to Jack.

"That was Sydney's CIA handler," Sark broke in, before moving to take a seat himself. I glared at him, not liking how he phrased that.

"Michael, sit down. We have a lot to discuss, and not a lot of time," Jack said.

"I don't get it- what the hell is going on here?"

"If you would be so kind as to take a seat and calm yourself, all will be explained," Irina looked a little too amused as she said this. She always made me wonder if she was playing mind games with me… I never could tell. Reluctantly, I moved to sit near Dixon, who was still giving me a thinly veiled look of distrust. I switched my gaze to Sark, who was staring at me with the same indefinable look as he always did. It was impossible to categorize him.

Jack and Irina looked at each other for a moment, and seemed to communicate all they needed to with their eyes. Then they turned back to us.

"Michael, as you know, this is Dixon. Dixon, this is Michael Vaughn. As Mr. Sark said, Vaughn was Sydney's handler with the CIA, and he's been heavily involved in the search for her from day one." Dixon turned to me again, a look of respect now etched across his features.

"That doesn't explain how Dixon is here, with us, when SD-6 is still operational," I noted, not quite in the mood to be friendly just yet.

"He's getting there," Irina said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Dixon is here because I asked him to be. Sloane sent him on a mission to Morocco with orders to eliminate a target who was a threat to SD-6 and 'national security.' It turns out I was that threat. I don't know how Sloane tracked me down, but he did. Fortunately, Dixon realized it was me, so he didn't pull the trigger. He approached me instead, and I had no choice but to explain everything. He met Irina for the first time today, as well as becoming reacquainted with Sark. He's going to be helping us now, and will eventually become a double agent as Sydney and I were. For the moment, we want to keep him away from the CIA so we can be sure he is able to stay involved with looking for Sydney."

I took a moment to let that all sink in before turning to Dixon.

"And you believed Jack when he told you the truth about SD-6?"

"Not at first. I didn't want to believe it. I'd invested so many years of my life into this, I couldn't fathom the possibility of it all being a lie. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I had been losing faith in Sloane after he was so quick to abandon the search for Sydney. She was one of the best agents I've ever known, and Sloane had always claimed to care about her. But as soon as she disappeared, he moved on. He never told anyone else the truth when people asked if she had been found- he always said 'we're still looking, and we're hopeful.' Too many things just weren't adding up."

Irina looked at me, her dark eyes seemingly boring a hole through me.

"Do you have any other questions?" I thought for a moment, running my hand through my hair before shaking my head.

"No, not right now. I can't think of anything at the moment."

"Ok then, here's the plan for now: you, Mr. Vaughn, will continue as you were before, keeping Irina and Jack up to date on anything of importance. Mr. Dixon will carry on at SD-6, and I will be putting in an appearance on each of his missions to ensure that what he takes back is of no danger to us. If the opportunity arises, SD-6 will be taken down." I frowned.

"Shouldn't we wait for Syd? She should be there when SD-6 crumbles." For the first- and only- time in memory, neither Jack nor Irina would meet my eyes. Dixon looked from me to Sark, waiting for an answer. For his part, Sark glanced to Jack and Irina before facing me.

"Mr. Vaughn, we don't know that Sydney is still alive, or that we'll even be able to find her. If we have the opportunity to absolve ourselves of SD-6, we can't pass up on that simply because we would like for Miss Bristow to be there."

"She's still alive. We just saw her in Mexico. We will find her, and she will be there to take down SD-6. She deserves to be there for the end of it."

"I'm not disagreeing. However, you saw her alive two weeks ago. That doesn't guarantee her continued survival today, or in the future. For all you know, she could have been killed as she was taken away. And for that matter, you didn't even see her, you just saw a car that she was in. You have no proof that she's alive."

"Colin Michaels didn't say she was dead." Sark raised an eyebrow mildly.

"And you're going to take his word at face value?"

"He didn't lie about anything else."

"Of course not. Who would lie when they have a gun trained on them?" Obviously realizing how volatile the situation was, Irina tried to step in.

"Sark, calm down. Vaughn, we need to recognize the possibility that Sydney-" I cut her off angrily.

"No, Irina, there is no other possibility! We have to find Sydney alive. Are we done?" I directed the question to Jack. He stared at me for a moment before nodding.

"Thank you. Be in touch, and soon." I turned on my heel and walked out, knowing full well that I had been rude, and that Dixon had probably not formed a favorable impression of me. But I didn't care. I couldn't face the possibility of Sydney not coming back.

Now, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter at ff.net…

miss.pebbles: yeah, I have a fondness for Toronto, even though I've never been there…

Secret Agent Girl: Don't feel bad! And I'll keep posting here, I promise!

carrie: Thanks for reviewing, glad you like!

iceskatebaby: Thank you, kind words very much appreciated!

snowangel: Huge S/V shipper, huh? We'll see if I can't work some S/V in at some point…

black.Hawk: Good point, there are a lot of good stories without a lot of reviews… I'm almost at 100 here, so I'm happy!

Jade: Guess you know what Dixon's doing there now! And Vaughn's still going to meet with Francie, in a chapter or 2…

mary_d: Thanks! I try to update fairly quick, I know I'm not always so good about it…

Valoriahn: Thanks for the constant reviews. Was your curiosity about Dixon answered?

coolbeans: Thanks for giving my little tale another try!

And Susan: Soon enough, you moose? ;) Yeah, too bad there's no ninja here…


	16. Ch 16

3 days. That's good, right? Hehe…  


I went out and got into my rental car, preparing to drive back to the airport. I rested my head on the steering wheel as I put the key in the ignition and thought back over the conversation that had just taken place. I had just gotten it started when I heard the passenger door open. I looked up to see Jack seating himself and shutting the door.

"What are you doing?" I questioned tiredly.

"Escorting you to the airport, of course." I stared at him, and he continued to look out the windshield. Finally, he turned to me.

"Well?"

"Jack, if you're here to lecture me on-" he cut me off.

"Michael, how often do I lecture you?" I said nothing.

"That's right. I'm not going to do so now either. However, we do need to talk." I finally pulled the car away and started towards the airport again.

"What about?" I asked warily after a bout of silence. 

"I think you know."

"I don't think I do Jack." I could feel him glaring at me. In all honesty, I was just hoping to delay for another seven minutes, so I could get to the airport and avoid the conversation. I should've known Jack wouldn't allow that.

"Michael, you can answer the question as you drive, or I can make you stop this vehicle right here. It's your call."

"You can't be serious!" I protested, glancing at him briefly.

"Do I look anything but serious?"

"No. Not like you ever do…" I mumbled. As he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, I got the distinct feeling that he had heard me anyway.

"Vaughn."

"Ok, fine. What do you want me to say, Jack?"

"It's not about what I want you to say, Vaughn. It's about what you need to say."

"I cannot accept the possibility that she might be dead. Jack, that is too much for me to handle. I don't think I can face life in this world if the infallible Sydney Bristow isn't in it, somewhere."

"Vaughn, I understand how you're feeling. Believe me, I do. Sydney is all I have left in this world, and there would be no justice in her death. But just the same, we all have to recognize the possibility that she may indeed be dead. We have to know that, and we each need to find a way to deal with it. None of us like the possibility, but trying to hide in denial is not going to help anything in the long run. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" 

Keeping my eyes focused on the road, more so I wouldn't have to meet his than anything else, I sighed. After a moment, I gave a reluctant nod. I took a moment to organize my thoughts and my words before finally speaking.

"Jack, I know it's a possibility. I realize that, I really do. But it's hard to accept, and even harder to admit out loud. I didn't intend to upset anyone, or incite an argument with Sark, but… I don't know, maybe I think that if I just don't acknowledge the chance that she could be gone…" I trailed off and glanced at him quickly. His eyes were shut, and he was nodding softly.

"I understand." 

The remaining two minutes were passed in relative silence. We had given each other a number of things to think about, and we both had a multitude of other thoughts going on. Suddenly, one more occurred to me, and I glanced to Jack again. He looked up and caught my eye.

"What is it?"

"What are you going to do once we get to the airport? I don't imagine you should risk being seen there."

"You would be correct. You're going to drop me off in front of the airport, where Irina and Sark will pick me up in a few minutes."

"A few minutes? Jack, I know she drives fast, but isn't that pushing it?" He shook his head certainly.

"It's only fifteen minutes from where we were to here. Besides, she's been following us."

"What?" This alarmed me; I had seen nothing suspicious.

"Not that closely. She's quite a ways back- I can't even see her now. But she's there, just close enough to get me within minutes of your dropping me off." I marveled at their organization, knowing they'd had just moments to put that together.

"What about Dixon?"

"He'll be on a plane in an hour. We didn't want to take any chances of connecting the two of you." Moments later, we were approaching the airport.

"Pull over right there," Jack said, directing me. I did as he said. As soon as I stopped, he pushed his door open.

"Vau- Michael, be careful. Keep what I said in mind. I'll be in touch." And with that, he faded into the crowd.

A little while later, I was on a plane back to LA, attempting to sleep. A million thoughts ran through my mind, all at once, and I couldn't make sense of any of them. They were also far too active to allow for sleep. Finally I was home, and I suddenly found myself exhausted, mentally and emotionally. After greeting Donovan, I made my way to my room and collapsed onto the bed, sinking deeply into a much needed, pleasantly dream free sleep.

I actually had this finished last night… well, this morning around 3… but I was too tired by that point to form cohesive replies to all the feedback from last chapter, so I decided to wait until today to post it.

~HoneyB: You'd categorize this as one of the best SydMissing fics? Wow, thanks!

~iceskatebaby: Had to bring Dixon in… he's too awesome to be left out!

~Lainie: I replied to you at SD-1… did you get the PM?

~JJ: Joining the ranks of the thread stalkers? Hehe you guys rock.

~miss.pebbles: Sarky did indeed come into it with Irina, back in (let me look…) chapter 8, I think…

~SecretAgentGirl: Glad you're relieved! Can't wait for more… is this soon enough? :D

~Jade: ADD-ness won't allow it? Hmm… guess I'll have to bring Francie back soon then, won't I?

~mary_d: I try to be quick, certain people stalk me if I don't… thanks for the comments!

~Jubilee: I think I can manage at least a little S/V goodness… but not too much, that would throw me off I think…

~rin: Just to beg for an update?? Hehe… uh… look at the pretty flowers… ;)


	17. Ch 17

It was the last time I managed to sleep a full night without being plagued by the usual nightmares. The next time, they were back in full force. They were the same ones that plagued me every night, the same ones that rarely allowed me more than five hours of sleep. There were often violent images, always centered around Sydney. The dreams also often caused me to doubt my companions, and made me wonder if I could truly trust any of them- or myself.

Sometimes, I saw Jack pulling the trigger of the gun that killed Syd. It was always an accident, but it was always his fault. Sometimes, it was Irina mercilessly gutting her daughter, laughing maniacally the whole time. There was often Sark, hurling a knife straight into her chest. I think I even saw Dixon once or twice, Syd's blood on his hands and an emotionless look on his face. 

But the one that was most disturbing, and haunted me more than any other, was the image of me, with the chance to save Sydney, but eternally failing. I was always a second too late to stop Jack's bullet, Irina's blade, Sark's dagger, Dixon's hands. I woke up every morning, usually at least two hours before work, sweating and often crying. It took the whole morning for the images to fade, but they still tortured my mind in some capacity or another for the rest of the day.

Driving to work a week after the meeting in Toronto, the most vivid nightmare to date was replaying itself in my head. I almost got into more than once accident, being preoccupied as I was with the visions of blood that danced through my mind.

Like a zombie, I made my way over to my desk and plopped down. Kendall gave me a look, causing me to wonder if he ever really did anything, or just stood around and watched. My thoughts were interrupted as Weiss seated himself next to me.

"You look like crap," he finally stated after a long, analytical stare.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it," I muttered sarcastically.

"Vaughn, seriously- Kendall's starting to get annoyed."

"What do you mean 'starting' to? I figured he'd been annoyed since the day he was born."

"Well… I won't argue, but I mean, he's getting pissed at you."

"Should I be surprised by this?" Weiss sighed, and it seemed Kendall wasn't the only one annoyed by me.

"Where the hell is this new attitude of yours coming from?" he questioned huffily. Before I could answer, he cut me off.

"Vaughn, I know this whole thing with Syd has been really hard on you. But I think you need to live your life, and not just spend all of it looking for her. Just hear me out. I'm not telling you I think you should stop looking for her- that's far from what I'm saying. I know that's too important to you, and I know why. I'm just saying, you need to get your own life back in order, because when she comes back- and she will- she'll kick your ass once she realizes that you've let things slip like this." I had to smile at that.

"Weiss… thanks." He gave me a brief nod.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Kendall suddenly yelled for him from down the hall. "Now, if you can get me out of this, I'll be forever in your debt." I shrugged helplessly, causing him to sigh dramatically. He took his leave, and I sat back to think.

What he said had been just what I needed to hear. I needed to know that someone else believed in me, believed in her. I had to hear that someone else knew she would be home, and would accept nothing less.

And I also knew that his words were true- should Sydney come back to find how much of a mess I was becoming, she'd literally kick my ass a million different ways. In that moment, I made a decision. I was going to get things back in order, and that included no more bar visits. Much of the rest of the day was spent with planning, until that was interrupted by my desk phone ringing. I wasn't sure if it was CIA, or Jack, or Irina, or something totally different. After a moment of trepidation, I picked it up. The other end was full of static, and I couldn't make out what was being said.

"I can't hear you," I said for the fourth time. A muffled voice said something inaudible, and it was followed by a scream. I held the receiver away from my ear for a moment. By that point, Weiss had returned, and was now sitting watching me. He looked confused, and pointed questioningly at the phone. I shrugged and put it back to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, giving up all pretense of formality. After a bit more static and odd muffled noises, a clear voice finally managed to break through, say two words, and disappear. And though it was very brief, it was enough.

"Joey's Pizza?"

Shorter than I intended, but I had to leave it there… just had to! And now, for my lovely reviewers:

mss.pebbles: I thought about doing some flashback-y dream stuff, but a flashback within the flashback? I think I woulda gotten confuzed… LOL

Carrie: I was pretty happy with my 3 day mark on the last update… and I also can't wait to see what I do next! LOL I don't really have plans for each chapter, I just know how I want to end it.

rin: Damn it, the flowers won't work for a 4th time?? Hehe… do you have any idea how much it makes me smile to see reviews from you here and at SD-1? Cuz really it does… (pretend there's a big smilie ninja here)

HoneyB: Thank you again! Hope I didn't kill that suspense of sorts with this update…

mary_d: I really appreciate the reviews. I sure will keep updating and make you happy! It's what I'm here for, right?

Jade: Yes, SydTorchBurnage would be bad for poor Vaughn… restore your faith in Francie, you say? Wow, that could be a tall order… let's see if I'm up to the challenge!

As always, thanks to everyone who reads, and everyone who reviews!


	18. Ch 18

Whoohoo! Updates rock! Hehe… sorry, I excite myself…

The two simple words echoed in my mind, and all my years of training failed me. It only took two seconds to recover, but those two seconds could have made all the difference.

"Who's there?" I finally managed to gasp out. There was nothing but cold static. Weiss looked at me, a vague hint of fear playing in his eyes, and worry streaming plainly across his face.

"Hello? Are you there? Hello?" After a few more minutes of this, Weiss gently took the phone from my hand and hung it up. He glanced around, presumably to see if anyone was watching us too closely, before grabbing my shoulder and leading me to a more private room to talk.

"What the hell was that Mike?" I slumped into a chair and stared at the wall for a moment, those words reverberating in my mind again.

"Hey, Mike. Vaughn! Vaughn, damn it, what happened?" I finally managed to look up at him. "Who was on the phone?"

"Joey's Pizza," I murmured. I heard his sharp intake of breath and saw him brace himself on the table.

"What do you mean, Joey's Pizza? Do you know… I mean, was it…" his voice faltered, and my eyes met his.

"I don't know, Weiss. That's all it said, Joey's Pizza."

"But Vaughn, that was…" he trailed off again.

"I know what it meant, Eric. I need to talk to…" I cut myself off and looked at him sharply. I couldn't say Jack or Irina, not in the Joint Task Forces Center, and not to Weiss. But he somehow seemed to know, as he simply nodded at me and left the room, where I sat and thought for a few more minutes. Finally deciding on a plan of action, I got up and got to work. I walked over to one of the tech guys, Shelton, and asked him if he could trace a call that I had received. After he asked a few questions, regarding the length of the call, he said he could try, but it would take a while. 

"That's fine, it's no rush. I've got a few other things to take care of. Think you can figure it out within the hour?" He nodded confidently and I headed out. 

I still had no way of initiating contact with Jack or Irina, but I knew that one of them should be calling that day. With that in mind, I headed to the park, figuring Irina or Sark would approach if they were around. As I waited for contact, either in person or on my cell phone, I took some time to sort out various thoughts and feelings that had been running through me since I heard that voice.

It was her. I knew it had to be. All that time without her hadn't diminished my memories of her- her voice, her eyes, her hair, her smile. Sydney was alive, and she had made contact. I didn't know if she was healthy, or where she was, but for the moment, simply knowing she was out there was enough.

But the more time I had to think, the more worried I became. What if she wasn't ok? What if I never got her back, and those two brief words were the last I ever heard from her?

Fortunately for my sanity, I wasn't long allowed to drift down that road. My cell phone's ring tone dragged me away from it.

"Vaughn," I answered tiredly.

"It's Jack." His voice came through loud and clear.

"Something big happened," I said quickly, not allowing him to say anything more.

"What? How big?"

"She called." There was silence, with the exception of his breathing, for a few long moments.

"What do you mean, she called?"

"Jack, I mean she called. I mean my phone rang at the JTF, and I picked it up, and she was on the other end."

"What did she say?" I could hear the carefully controlled emotion behind the words, and I took pains to keep myself in check as I explained. There was another extended silence before he spoke again.

"What have you done about it?"

"I got one of the tech guys to attempt a trace. He's working on that now."

"What about Irina?"

"I'm at the park now, so if she shows here, or calls me, I'll tell her."

"Fine. Be sure Sark tells Dixon. And Vaughn… never mind. I'll be in touch." I didn't have the chance to protest, as he quickly hung up on me. I frowned, wondering what he had wanted to tell me. I was so eager to tell him my news that I ignored the fact that he must have had something to tell me, and he must now have a reason to withhold it. 

I sat and considered the angles of that for a good fifteen minutes before deciding that it was time to head back. But a familiar voice stopped me.

"Vaughn?" she said somewhat hesitantly. I slowly turned to face her. She was sitting at the bench I had just vacated.

"Took you long enough," I said irritably.

"I don't just sit around and wait for you, you know. I have other things to be doing. But Sark figured you must have wanted to see me, since you've been here close to an hour." I nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah I did."

"Ok. What is it?" I dropped my eyes and took a breath, before looking back up and launching into the details. When I was finished a few minutes later, I was shocked by the change that seemed to come over Irina. When she had first appeared, she seemed to be her usual serene self, eyes looking as though they knew a million things I could never imagine, and a slight smirk that hinted at superiority. Now, she was agitated to an extent, with a storm brewing in her eyes and all traces of that smile gone. 

"I won't leave town tonight. Be back here as soon as you get the results of the trace." I agreed and started back to work, before remembering something Jack had said.

"Jack wants Sark to tell Dixon about this, just to keep him informed." Irina nodded, somewhat numbly, and I returned to the JTF to find an angry Kendall waiting for me.

"Agent Vaughn, please tell me you realize it's 10 in the morning? That's too early for a lunch break. So where the hell did you disappear to for an hour?" I was stuck. I couldn't tell him the truth, but too much of a lie would eventually be uncovered. So I opted for a less detailed version of the truth.

"I needed to clear my head, sir. Agent Bristow's been on my mind today."

"And every day," I heard him mumble as he turned away. "Fine. Get back to work. But don't make this a habit!" After watching him disappear, I quickly ran to find Shelton.

"The trace- did you get it?" He looked at me nervously.

"Well, I… it's a bit complicated, because I-"

"Yes or no. It's simple."

"I got a very general area trace, and that was it."

"How general?"

"It came from Lithuania." I waited for him to keep going.

"That's it? That's all you got?" He nodded anxiously.

"I'm sorry, I tried, but it was very-"

"Don't worry about it. It's better than nothing." I walked back to my desk and sat down to decide what to do next. If I walked out, Kendall would be pissed. It could endanger my job. But if I waited for the day to end, we would lose precious hours. If I got to Irina immediately, she could get people out to Lithuania in no time. That settled it.

I stood up and headed towards the front door. I heard Kendall yell something to Weiss, and a moment later he was at the end of the hall yelling for me to stop. I ignored him and continued on my way.

I actually had this finished last night, but I was too tired to come up with replies to all the reviews, so you had to wait till today… sorry!

MadWoman: Happy that you're hooked! Hehe. Thanks for the review!

Secret Agent Girl: I promise, the F/V talk is coming, there are just some more things in the backstory that need to be told first…

Carrie: Yeah, ten points for StraightenedOutVaughn! 2 days… is that soon enough?

miss.pebbles: Yeah, we like Sydney-ness. As for Vaughn saying screw Kendall… well, did this update accomplish that? I'm not sure…

Ryanne: Nope, Syd's not dead, she's just been missing for a few years.

Susan: Make up your mind, dear- was it good or awful? :P And I reiterate- I CAN do that to you! Hahaha!

snosamie6: Suspense is good, yeah? Consider this continued!

JJ: I only see two J's there, must you really put in a million and a half? Hehe… yeah, a Thai place would be interesting…

purpleblue: Welcome and thanks for reading! And of course it had to stop at the cliffhanger- I'm eeevil!

rin: Yeah, you better keep talking to the thread, it gets lonely you know. But I'm sure Man appreciates how faithful you are.

Kiki: Powerful… I like that word! Thanks for the review!

Agent Otter: Hmm… others have mentioned heart failure too… maybe I'm bad for people's health. And yes, yes I'm quite pleased. Hehe.

Jade: I kinda liked the dreams, thanks! And I can certainly try my hand at that challenge… restore the FrancieFaith!

mary_d: I actually had planned out exactly what I wanted to happen with Syd, but now I'm not sure it's such a good idea… ah well, we'll find out soon enough!

Thanks to all the readers! You guys rock!


	19. Ch 19

I couldn't have been at the park more than five minutes before someone sat next to me. 

"What did you find?" Irina asked, and I noticed her glancing around nervously.

"It came from Lithuania. He couldn't narrow it down anymore than that." She frowned, and I could see the wheels turning behind the deep brown eyes that were so much like her daughters. I had to pull my gaze away.

"That's not much to go on," she finally observed.

"I know." After another bout of silence, she spoke again.

"If that's all we have to work with, that's what we'll work with." Irina pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Sark?" I heard her ask, before she switched to a language I didn't understand. A moment later, she hung up.

"He's getting the plane ready. We'll be on our way within two hours." I nodded.

"Let me know as soon as your men find anything." For the first time since she had sat down, Irina looked straight at me.

"My men? Agent Vaughn, I'm going out there myself." With that, she stood up and was on her way. I stared after her for a long while, even after she had disappeared. Had I been underestimating her all along? Perhaps she truly did care about Sydney. I had never wanted to accept that possibility; I'd just known that she had resources that would help in the search, and that made it a good idea to make her part of it. I didn't like the changing depths of Irina Derevko; it was much easier to hate her and label her a monster.

Deciding it was useless to attempt any organization to my thoughts regarding Derevko, I stood up and left the park. I didn't particularly want to go back to the JTF, but I knew I'd get into even more trouble if I didn't. Not that I particularly cared, I mused as I headed back.

When I got there, I was less than surprised to find Kendall waiting at my desk. I wondered if he had been there the whole half hour I was gone.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Like, say, run important government intelligence operations?" He glared at me.

"And just where the hell did you go running off to, Agent Vaughn?" I didn't answer. I couldn't tell him the truth, and I wasn't up to fabricating a lie, so I remained silent.

"You need to get your priorities straightened out. You're constantly disappearing, and-"

"My priorities are straight. Sydney Bristow is my priority."

"Sydney Bristow has been missing for over two years!" Kendall seethed.

"Yeah, and in those two years, you have done next to nothing to find her! Someone has to pick up the slack on your part."

"How do you expect to find her on your own? You don't have the resources," he spat.

"I have my ways."

"Such as…?" I shook my head.

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"And suppose I make it an official request?"

"Have at it. I still won't tell you anything." He nodded slowly.

"Fine. Have it you way, Agent Vaughn. But be warned: I will be keeping a very close eye on you, and your job is on the line." After a brief stare down, he turned and walked away. He paused briefly as he noticed the majority of the other agents had been watching our argument.

"Get back to work!" he barked before he stormed to his office and slammed the door. I smiled to myself.

"You're a brave man, Vaughn, a very brave man," Weiss declared as he seated himself at my desk.

"Hey, Weiss, make yourself comfortable."

"I did. Now, want to tell me what's going on?"

"Do I want to? Yes. Can I? No."

"No fair."

"What can I say? Life isn't fair." My argument with Kendall had buoyed my spirits, but I was brought back down by the realization of how true that statement was. Weiss seemed to realize this, as he soon stood up and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Things are going to work out." He grabbed his soda from my desk and walked away.

"You don't know that," I sighed as I sat down.

"Yes I do," he called over his shoulder, leaving me to wonder how he could possibly have heard me. The rest of the day passed without incident, and I arrived home around 10. The phone started ringing as soon as I walked through the door, and I lunged for it.

"Hello?" I was expecting it to be Jack, calling for an update. It wasn't.

The other side of the call was garbled and I couldn't make out anything specific. I could tell that someone was there, but it wasn't clear. I became annoyed.

"Prank calls aren't funny," I growled before slamming the phone down. I took off my tie and jacket, setting them on a chair before unbuttoning the first few buttons of my shirt. Then I walked to the refrigerator and started rummaging for food. I was interrupted by the phone, which started ringing again. With a sigh, I slammed the refrigerator door and leaned over the counter to grab the phone.

"Hello?" It soon became obvious that it was the same caller as two minutes ago. I was about to hang up again when one word came through loud and clear.

"Help…"

"Syd, is that you? Hello?" The mangled noise continued for a moment, and then died. I gently set the phone down and sank into a chair, confused. All my doubts and worries came back full force, and I soon collapsed onto the couch, falling into another night full of dark dreams.

Ryanne: Yes, she was on a mission when she disappeared, and no, Sark and Irina had nothing to do with it.

My favorite thread stalker: Sounds like a good deal! But, uh… suppose I write un-amazing stories. Then what? ;)

miss.pebbles: I have something planned, involving Syd and an explanation, but… I can't tell you. That would just ruin all the fun!

Secret Agent Girl: Fights with Kendall are such fun to write! Hehe. I know it's taking forever to get back to the F/V stuff, but I do have a plan for that, other stuff just has to be done first.

Carrie: Yeah, Vaughn could very well lose his job… tee hee, that'd be funny! I wonder how he'd pay his bills though…


	20. Ch 20

I was awakened by the telephone once again ringing. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stared at it apprehensively before reaching out to grab it?

"Hello?"

"We're here." I blinked, not connecting the two words to anything of importance to me.

"Who's where?" There was a somewhat aggravated sigh.

"Sark and I are in Lithuania. Jack is going to meet us here, and Dixon may be with him." That cleared things up in a hurry.

"I got another call last night," I sighed.

"From her? What did she say?"

"I think it was her, but I can't be positive. And all I could hear was the word 'help.' Anything else she might have said was obscured." Irina was silent for a long moment.

"Did you trace it?" she finally asked quietly.

"No. It was to my home phone, I didn't want to explain it to Kendall."

"Understandable. I'll let you know what we find."

"Thank you." With that, I hung up. Yawning deeply, I got up from the uncomfortable couch and went to take a shower. As the hot water poured over me, washing away memories of the previous nights' all too vivid horrors, I thought about what I should do that day. I didn't know if going back into work was such a brilliant idea. But on the other hand, could I afford to skip out? I didn't particularly want to be fired.

The dilemma was resolved a few moments later, as the sound of my cell phone drew me out of the shower. Throwing a towel around my waist, I answered.

"Vaughn."

"It's Weiss. Look, Kendall is raging. I don't know what happened, but he's come to seriously believe you had something to do with the escape of Derevko, as well as the disappearance of Jack Bristow. He is gunning for you, man." I contemplated that for a minute.

"Ok. Thanks for letting me know. I guess I won't be in today… or anytime soon."

"I'll keep you up to date. Whatever you're up to, be careful."

"I will be. Thanks." I hung up and sat down to think. I didn't quite know what to do, but obviously staying far away from Kendall was in order. Still feeling uncertain, I stood up and got dressed casually. After eating a quick breakfast, I got into my car and headed out. I didn't have a particular destination, but I figured it would be best not to be at home if Kendall or his men came calling.

As I was driving, my cell phone rang again. I looked at it nervously, worried that it may be Kendall. The call ID didn't help at all. Finally, I picked up.

"Vaughn."

"It's Jack." I breathed a sigh of relief, which he evidently caught.

"Is everything ok?"

"Well, Kendall is apparently quite suspicious of me now. So, I'm going to have to avoid him- and, by extension, work- for a while."

"That fits perfectly with what I was going to tell you."

"Which was… what?"

"We'd like you to get out here as soon as you can. Sark and Irina think they've found something that may lead us to Sydney." My heart skipped a beat, and I almost ran a red light.

"Just tell me where you are, and I'll be there as soon as possible."

"We're in Vilnius."

"Is that the capitol?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll be there."

"We'll be waiting." I hung up and took a sharp right to head for the airport. A few hours later, I was in the air on my way to Vilnius.

I know, it's short… sorry! I have to focus on another fic right now, I just needed to get this out of my system first…

**Jade:** Anytime Kendall gets mad, it's sure to be a good read… of course, it always reminds me of a friend who asked me to make him end up with a sunburn on his head…

**Miss.pebbles:** Driving you nuts? Well… a certain stalker at SD-1 said it's killing her… again, I conclude that I must be bad for people's health. Hehe, go me.

**Secret Agent Girl:** Well, patience is a virtue, from what I hear! Hehe yeah, I like eeevil phone calls…

**Carrie:** Yes, it's still in flashback. When it's flashback, it's past tense. The bar stuff/ Francie scenes (present tense) are 6 years in the future.

**O mysterious ninja:** Evil? Me? You don't say…

**Lynn:** Yup, that was really Sydney. Thanks for reading!

**Lara:** Thank you very much! Glad you've joined the party!


	21. Ch 21

I force myself to put these thoughts aside as I realize the time to meet with Francie is drawing near. It's 1:30 now, and since we're scheduled to meet at 2, I need to get going. My thoughts stay in the past as I work my way through the present traffic. I realize I'll have to explain everything to Francie anyway, from SD-6 through what happened with Syd.  
As anticipated, the traffic is insane, and it takes me forever to get to her restaurant. When I finally do arrive, it's already 2:05. I walk in and she smiles at me from the kitchen. She hurries out to greet me.  
"Hi Michael."  
"Hi, sorry I'm late, traffic was killer." She waves her hand absently.  
"Don't worry, it couldn't have been more than five minutes anyway," she says with a polite smile. "Now let's go into the back. We can talk there." I grab her arm and stop her. She turns to face me, a curious and almost alarmed look on her face.  
"We need complete privacy. Some of these things I'm going to tell you… they're not supposed to be told." Francie stares at me for a very long moment, a near smile on her face, obviously trying to decide if I'm serious. I can tell when she finally realizes I am, as the hint of a smile fades totally, and is replaced with a dead seriousness in her eyes.  
"Ok. We can go to my office. It's small, but no one will interrupt." I nod.  
"That works." She leads me through the kitchen, stopping briefly to talk to someone.   
"We'll be in my office. Only interrupt in the case of emergency, and by that I mean life threatening. Otherwise, you're in charge, and I'm trusting you to handle everything." The man nods at her, and we continue on to her office. True to her word, the room is small and sparsely furnished, obviously not seeing a whole lot of use. But it has two chairs, and that's all we'll need to get this story out. She sits behind a small desk and looks at me expectantly.  
"Ok. Before I start, I think I should warn you: you're about to find out things about Sydney that I'm sure you never imagined could be true, if you ever imagined them at all. Whatever thoughts may form, I am begging you to wait until the end of the story to form your final opinion of her. What I'm going to tell you is bound to change your perceptions of her, hopefully for the better. Just keep an open mind." Looking nervous, Francie nods slowly.  
"Ok… whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be that bad." I stare at her seriously.  
"Yes, it can be. It can be that bad, and a million times worse." She gapes at me for a moment.  
"Um… all right. Go ahead and tell me this story." I take a deep breath and ponder where to begin. Finally I decide not to sugarcoat anything, and just begin by telling her the truth.  
"Syd never really worked for a bank. She-" Francie quickly jumps in.  
"That's crazy. She was always gone on trips, and she always had these meetings, and… where else could she have worked?"  
"The CIA." I allow that to sink in.  
"What? You are crazy, I don't want to hear anymore of your made up tales about a woman you obviously didn't even know. Just leave, now." I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet, showing her my ID.  
"I'm a CIA officer. Throughout her tenure with the CIA, I was her handler. Don't tell me I'm crazy, or that I don't know Sydney Bristow. I know her better than anyone else ever could." I hadn't intended to get angry, though I knew coming in that Francie most likely wouldn't believe any of it initially.  
"Before the CIA, Sydney worked for SD-6. She was-"  
"Wait… that spy group that Will made up?"  
"He didn't make it up. It was real." I quickly give her the backstory on what Will went through, and she is left staring at her desk.  
"I can't believe it… all this time, I've thought it was true, that he really was a junkie… I feel so horrible." I don't speak, though my heart is screaming out that by the end of the day, things will only feel worse. I proceed to tell her about SD-6 and Sydney's involvement there, until I get to Danny and Francie cuts me off again.  
"Wait… it wasn't a random break in? Danny was murdered?"  
"Yes. He was killed because Sydney told the man she was going to marry what she truly did, and Sloane found out." Francie looks like she's going to be sick, and I feel a pang of sympathy. I move on to Sydney's entry into the CIA, and my initial relationship with her.  
"She lied all those years… I think I should feel angry at her, but all I can feel is proud. She must have had such a hard time, not telling myself or Will. She had to keep everything to herself in order to keep us safe. I'll never cease to be amazed by her," she says softly. I have to smile.  
"Syd always has inspired awe, hasn't she?" Francie nods quickly, and I can see tears forming in her eyes.  
"What happened after she became CIA?" I explain the fight against SD-6, and the struggle to keep herself and her father a secret. Francie grows more entranced by the moment. I eventually get to Will, and how he found out.  
"So wait… he's known too?"  
"Yeah. But he couldn't tell you, for the same reasons that Sydney couldn't. Believe me, both of them wanted to, but it could have resulted in all three of your deaths." Francie looks shocked, but nods mutely for me to continue. I soon get to the topic of her mother.  
"She didn't die? She was KGB?" she looks like she's starting to lose it, and I wonder if it's all too much to take in at one time. She's finding out that everything she believed about her closest friend, was all a lie. I remind myself that Sydney felt the same pain, only a hundred times worse, and that's enough cause for me to move on with the story. When I come to the subject of Sydney's disappearance, Francie grows more overtly emotional, and even I find myself having difficulty continuing. But I tell it to her as best I can, from Jack running from the CIA, to Irina breaking out and helping in the search. I tell her about all of the phone calls, and about Kendall's various decisions hampering the search. Eventually, I get to the flight to Lithuania, and the hope that we might finally have found Sydney. Recalling all of the emotions running through me at that point, I have to stop and take a calming breath. Francie gives me space, but I know she is as invested in this as I am. Finally, she can take the wait no longer and presses for me to continue.   
With a brief warning that the story might get more confusing and more painful from this point on, I continue with the tale…

**miss.pebbles:** Finals? Eeek… good luck! As for S/S vs. S/V… I go either way, I can never decide, but I **won't **go Sarkney with this fic, because… I think certain people would hurt me if I did. Hee.

**Certain Stalker:** Glad you love it anyway. And yes, I'm well aware that waiting and patience isn't your most accomplished skill… :D

**Secret Agent Girl: **I get this feeling that people want a happy ending… but at least you're not threatening me for one… hehe. And yes, I do so love those phone calls!

**snowangel: **Happy that you like where this is going, I think I do too…

**carrie: **Happy to clear things up for you. Hope I don't lose you again!

**mary_d: **Made your day, huh? Well that just makes mine! Thanks for the consistent reviews!

**BronwynMaye: **Addicted, you say? Hmm… more proof that I'm bad for people's health! Hehe… yup, I surely do remember the ch. you mentioned… I liked that one!

**Chat: **Oh my Colin… (hehehe)… you're as crazy as the rest of them, if that was ever in doubt. And, wait… you like Vaughn more than Sark??? Since when??? ;) 

**Jade: **Hehe… Kendall turning red… that would be hilarious! Something to ponder… lol.

**rin: **chat is your hero? Uh oh… I'm in trouble now. LOL.


	22. Ch 22

When I disembarked in Vilnius, I noticed a young man walking towards me. He wore a black leather jacket, and a black cap obscured his long, dark hair. He bumped into me as he walked by. When I turned stare after him, I noticed him motion for me to follow. I hesitated, until he turned to glare at me briefly. Seeing his face for the first time, I knew it was Sark, even under the disguise. I trailed him out.

He led me out of the airport and down the street, before turning into an alley and heading up another road. I followed him carefully, hoping not to appear too obvious. Finally, he got into a car, leaving the passenger door open. I climbed in and pulled the door shut.

"Don't you think that whole cloak and dagger routine was a bit excessive?"

"Not in the least. Agent Dixon has reason to believe that Sloane may suspect him of being disloyal to SD-6. No chances can be taken in this matter."

"Understood. Can I take it Dixon is here?"

"Yes." There was silence for a few minutes, as Sark concentrated on driving and I thought about Syd. Then, something occurred to me.

"Jack told me that you and Irina had found something that might help us find Sydney."

"Indeed." I waited for him to expound on that, soon realizing he wouldn't do so voluntarily.

"Ok. Care to share?"

"Not particularly."

"Excuse me?"

"Irina can explain it better than I can. She's the one who discovered it in the first place."

"Fine," I said irritably. The rest of the five minute drive was passed in cold silence. I was all too happy to oblige when Sark parked and, turning to me, said, "Get out."

We walked into the drab gray building, and I soon set my sights on Irina, Jack, and Dixon. As Sark went over to say something to Irina in private, I couldn't help but marvel at the gathering. Who would have ever thought that this eclectic group of people would honestly be working together for one common goal? I took a moment to mentally tell Sydney how amazing she truly was, before I went to join the other four people.

"What did you find?" I asked, looking straight at Irina. Jack cut in.

"I called in an old favor from someone at the CIA. He took the tracing that you had done, and he went deeper with it, tech the CIA doesn't have. He managed to narrow it down to this city."

"From that, Sark and I checked into phone records from the past few days, and came up with just four phones that have made phone calls to America. If we split up and search those four places, there's a chance that we may yet find Sydney here. Alive." I was dumbstruck. Never had we knowingly been so close to finding her. It brought back memories of the near miss in Mexico, and I grew determined not to let that happen again.

"That sounds good," Dixon finally spoke.

"Ok. Jack and Irina will be working together; the rest of us will be on our own. We'll meet back here as soon as the searches have been concluded," Sark stated. Irina spread a map of the city across the lone table in the room, and began pointing out where each of us was going.

"Jack and I will take this one; it's farthest away, and from what we've gathered, larger and somewhat guarded. Sark, you'll go here. You shouldn't have any difficulties getting in; it's believed to be a residential home. Dixon, this is a store of some kind. I don't imagine they'll take too kindly to someone barging in, but I trust you'll be able to handle it. And Vaughn, this is your mark. We haven't been able to determine precisely what it is, but we're fairly certain that it's not guarded. Is everyone clear?" As we each took one last look at the map of Vilnius, I felt a new hope rising within me, one I hadn't felt in a very long time. We were going to get Sydney Bristow back; we had to.

**Jade:** I watched 'American Outlaws' today (I love Col Farrell…) and seeing Kendall made me laugh so much!

**Secret Agent Girl:** Hmm… happy at all? ;) Figured it was about time for Francie to put in another appearance…

**miss.pebbles:** Hmm… steamy Sarkney… I don't know if I could manage that… but it doesn't matter, not intending to try anytime soon.

**Ryanne:** Have her hiding out w/ Sark? I don't know if that could even make sense… but it won't happen either way.

**Lara:** Very glad to hear that I helped to cheer you up, that makes me happy!

**Roogal:** Thanks for the review, great to hear from someone new!

**carrie:** Here's more more! And hopefully, more coming soon!

**Breezy:** Crazy cliffhanger? Hehe. Thanks for the review!

**mary_d:** Great to hear from you as always. That's the thing I miss most about real Franice, we won't get to see her find out about Syd. And yes, Syd is still alive.


	23. Ch 23

Ten minutes later, I was standing outside of my target building. It was a small motel that obviously didn't see too much business. But looking at it from across the street, I realized that there were enough people there to potentially cause a problem, should any situations arise.

"That's it?" I turned to Dixon and sighed.

"Yeah. That's it."

"Good luck," he said, patting my shoulder before he continued down the street. The market he had to investigate was only a few blocks away, we had realized while looking at Irina's map. We'd mutually agreed that if one of us finished before the other, we would meet and work together.

I watched until Dixon turned the corner, and then I faced the motel once again. Taking a breath, I quickly crossed the street. I decided that the first thing I needed to find out was how many rooms the place had. As I approached the clerk at the desk, he began speaking in a language I didn't understand. I quickly realized that it had to be Lithuanian- a very obvious conclusion, I thought to myself- and then I interrupted him.

"English… do you speak English?" I asked. He stared at me for a moment before saying something else. I shook my head, baffled, and he held his hands apart in a gesture that I took to mean 'a little.'

"Ok, um… how many rooms do you have?" 

"Rooms?" he repeated. I nodded.

"Yes, rooms. How many?" He turned to look back at a shelf with a row of keys. He counted them quickly.

"Four open," he said. I shook my head.

"No, how many total?"

"Four." I sighed and looked beyond him to count the number of pegs. Four of them held keys to the four open rooms he mentioned, and there were sixteen open.

"Ok… twenty." I sighed, knowing that might take a while. But then I decided to be optimistic, and reminded myself that it could be worse; there could be fifty. I turned away from him and headed for the hallway.

"Room?" he called.

"Uh… no. I'm meeting a friend," I said lamely. He stared at me blankly. I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to get it across to him. I was coming up blank. I had finally decided to just hit him and start looking through rooms when the door opened. Dixon walked up to me, shaking his head.

"Nothing. What's happening here?" 

"I'm trying to tell him that I'm here to meet a friend. He doesn't speak English, and I have no idea how to say it in Lithuanian." Dixon nodded briefly and turned to the clerk. He started speaking rapidly in a different language, and the man at the desk responded. Dixon turned to me, a small smile on his face.

"Lead the way." I turned and started down the hallway.

"How'd you do it?" I asked.

"I told him in Polish," he replied simply.

"Polish?"

"Yes. That and Russian are both prominently spoken here."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"The USSR annexed Lithuania in 1940, I believe it was. 50 years later, Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence. The last of the Russian troops withdrew in 1993."

"Thanks for the history lesson." He smiled wryly.

"It's one of my strong suits."

"Well, it was pretty useful in this case."

"It can be. Do we know what we're looking for, exactly?" I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket.

"We need to find the phone that matches this number." He looked it over briefly, and I knew he'd committed it to memory.

"Ok. And how are we supposed to get into the rooms with people in them?" 

"Be creative." Dixon rolled his eyes. He began on one side of the hallway; I worked down the other. The first seven rooms I came to were all empty at the moment, though none of the phones proved to match the number. As Dixon came out of his fourth room, I heard him speaking Polish again. He shook his head at me.

"There are six more rooms on the second floor. They're a bit bigger than these ones, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'll get started on those." He nodded to me and knocked on the next door. Hearing no response, he picked the shabby lock and went in. I headed up the stairs, smiling politely at the clerk as I passed. He gave me a somewhat suspicious look, but turned back to his magazine.

A few minutes later, Dixon was waiting for me as I exited the third room on the top floor, which was at the end of the hall.

"Nothing?" I asked.

"Nothing. I take it those are the last three rooms to check?" he asked, pointing at the ones across the hall. I nodded, quietly closing the door behind me. He went into the first room, and I took the one in the middle. We both came out at the same time. Dixon shrugged; I sighed.

"Last one," I breathed, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Let's go," he said. I knocked on the door; an annoyed voice called from the other side. Dixon and I exchanged glances, and he replied in Polish again. After going back and forth for a few minutes, the door finally opened. We moved across the room, seemingly the biggest in the motel- which really wasn't saying much. I picked up the receiver and dialed a few buttons to check the phone number. As I waited, I heard a slight commotion at the door. I was about to check when I heard the number. I looked up at Dixon.

"It's a match," I said softly. I quickly hung the phone up and turned to see the man who had allowed us into the room shutting the door behind him.

"Come on!" I barked. We ran after him. Opening the door, I saw him already down the stairs, running for the door. But I stopped cold. Someone was trailing behind him… someone I'd recognize anywhere.

"Sydney!" She stopped and turned to look up at me. It was her, there was no doubt about it. My heart stopped, and I moved to go after her, overtaking Dixon in the process. As I got closer, I could see tears gathering in her eyes. A moment later, they began to trail down her bruised face, and I could hear her sobs from halfway up the stairs. 

Suddenly, she turned and ran. I put on some speed, trying to catch her. She disappeared out the door, and as I burst out after her, I saw her climb into a car and slam the door. She turned to look at me from the window, and I could still see the tears and the bruises. And I could still feel my heart being ripped in two.

Just then, gunfire erupted, tearing up the sidewalk at my feet. Dixon and I ducked back into the motel. The bullets stopped a moment later. By then, it was too late. Sydney and the mysterious man were long gone. 

I'd never felt so lost in all my life.

Ok, so I'm told that was eeevil. And yes, I know it was probably confusing. It'll all be explained…

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Jade: Hehe true. Bald guys suddenly having hair is disconcerting. Hmm… don't suppose this update qualifies as shipperness, does it? :D

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Secret Agent Girl: Wicked happy, you say? Ok… so I gather that you want NotDeadSyd, HappyHugs, and SpySex? Hmm… we'll see what I can do for you…

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HoneyB: Did I have to make it so short? No, I don't suppose I had to… but I did anyway. This update was longer… be happy!

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carrie: Hmm, you're not the first person to suggest having this be a never ending fic…

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Ryanne: Doesn't look like Vaughn saved her NOW… maybe soon… or maybe not…

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mary_d: Hehe, yup. Still alive, she is. So, would it be bad if I told you I'm not sure how it's going to end either? Hee…

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Lara: Wow, S/V in popular demand… perhaps I should take note of that for future updates…

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Disturbed stalker: Dude. Slacker! What's wrong with you? Oh, so many things I could say… I'm eeevil. You're hyper. Got it.

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Master Spork: Well you, my lovely dead sister, are just plain awesome! (But me and Nic-sis are still plotting… hee…)

Ok, just to let everyone know, it's taking so long for updates now because I'm sorta not technically supposed to be online. Not sure how long it's going to last, but I'll definitely try to be here as much as possible. Thanks for the reviews!


	24. Ch 24

I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
You're taking over me  
  
I look in the mirror and see your face  
if I look deep enough  
so many things inside that are just like you are taking over

                                  ~Evanescence, 'taking over'

"Wait… she ran away?" My story comes crashing to a halt as Francie poses her shocked question.

"Yeah."

"I don't get it… why? I thought…" she trails off, looking confused.

"I didn't know either at that point."

"Did you find out?" 

"In time, yes."

"What was the reason?" I give her a semi-annoyed look.

"Can I continue the story where I left off? I'll get to that pretty soon, I promise."

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry. That's just… it's unbelievable.  I mean, to think that you were so close that you could see her eyes…" We both fall silent for a moment, and all I think about it how much things could have been different if I were a little faster… a little smarter… a little better. I finally realize that Francie looks concerned.

"Are you ok?" she asks.

"Yeah… just thinking." She nods in apparent understanding.

"Sorry I interrupted… you can keep going."

"Thanks… now, where was I… " I take a moment to gather my thoughts, and then launch back into the story.

Dixon and I somehow found our way back to Jack, Irina, and Sark, though I had the feeling it had more to do with Dixon than with me. I was still in absolute shock.

The three of them were discussing their efforts when we walked in. They fell silent, and stood to greet us.

"We found nothing," Irina said in disgust.

"We did," I said softly.

"What did you say?" Sark asked quickly.

"We found something," I replied.

"What? Did one of the phones match?" Jack, who had been silent to that point, pushed to the front. I glanced over to Dixon, who gave me a reassuring nod.

"Yes, a phone matched. But more importantly… we saw her." There was dead silence in the room for a very long moment. I glanced at the three people in front of me. Irina's face remained calm, but her eyes were stormy, and a war of emotions raged within their depths; Jack had drawn in a breath, and was now glaring at Dixon and I, a look close to fear residing in his eye; and Sark looked highly interested, but no more emotional than usual.

"Saw her where? Why isn't she with you now?" Jack questioned.

"We went into a room to check their phone, and this guy ran out. We chased him, and realized that Syd was with him. I called her, she looked back and started crying, but then ran. When we tried to follow her outside, someone started shooting at us. And… that was it." Jack frowned.

"Someone shot at you?" I nodded.

"When you went outside after Sydney…" Irina said, looking to Jack. They stared at each other for a moment, seeming to communicate with their eyes. Finally, he nodded.

"It seems likely to be the reason Sydney ran from you. We all know she wouldn't be working with this man; and her reaction just further proves that." I nodded, not quite following their train of thought.

"I doubt there's much more that can be done in Vilnius," Sark said.

"What? We can search for her! She was just here, in my sight, ten minutes ago!" I protested.

"Ten minutes is a long time, Mr. Vaughn. These people have been eluding us for quite a while now; obviously, they know how to disappear. By now, Sydney and her… captors will be long gone. By scouring the city, we'd simply be wasting precious time that could be spent on other endeavors." I began to argue again when Irina spoke.

"He has a point. Whoever has her, they're no idiots. They won't hang around any longer than necessary now that we're onto them. However, we are getting closer. We will get her back." 

"Fine. What next?" I asked irritably.

"You go back to LA, Michael. Irina, Sark, and I continue trying to track them down, and Dixon finishes his SD-6 mission and goes back." I sighed in resignation.

"Let me guess… you'll be in touch?" 

"Exactly."

"I had best be going; I'm running low on time," Dixon said. I nodded to him, and he walked out with a brief, somber wave. Sark turned to Irina.

"I'll be waiting outside." She nodded, and he followed Dixon out. Irina faced me then.

"I'm sorry about how he acted. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you, and he didn't make it any easier." I waved her off.

"I don't need sympathy… especially not yours. All I need is to have Sydney back." I looked to Jack.

"Be in touch. Soon." He nodded and I turned on my heel and stormed out. The whole Vilnius debacle had put me in a very sour mood… one that wouldn't be lifted by anything but the return of Sydney Bristow to my arms. I would do anything to make that happen.

Master Spork: I liked the eeevil chapter… my fave so far! :D  And I promise- no mass murder.

MysteriOus spoRk lovEr!!!: Evilest is now a word, if it wasn't before. Glad you liked, and don't worry- I don't intend to give you sugar… ever…

Ur biggest fane: Thanks, I think… it will all be explained…

HoneyB: You'll personally hunt me down? *sigh* Take a number… thanks for reviewing!

Ryanne: I like reading your theories there…  I know what's going to happen, it shouldn't be too long!

Secret Agent Girl: I like your ideas too… here, don't want you to have a meltdown! Hope you enjoyed, cuz I now have one very angry stalker, since I updated this instead of something else…

Carrie: I can't leave you there? But I liked it! Hehe…

Kristin: I appreciate the review, don't get me wrong… but if you think it's ridiculous, and it pisses you off, why bother reading?

Blondie: Thank you, welcome to the party! Hope the exams went/ will go ok!

Ticked at Syd: Did you just suggest Vaughn and Sark? Oh wow…well, I hadn't considered that. Very interesting…

Jade: This isn't shippy happiness? Hmm… oops! LOL I guess the Kendall Emporium is closed for repairs… and I hope he stays away from the Rogaine!


	25. Ch 25

When I arrived back in LA, my first destination was the usual bar. I vaguely recalled having sworn to stop drinking… but it didn't matter at that point. I took my regular seat, ordered my regular drink, and sat back to contemplate.

I couldn't go home; Kendall most likely had it staked out 24/7. In all honesty, I probably shouldn't even be in LA to begin with. But I had to… Jack had told me too, first of all, and I didn't want to be further away from my memories of Sydney, more importantly. But I wasn't quite sure where to go. Checking into a hotel didn't seem wise… that would be the first place they looked. After Weiss, anyway. Obviously, neither of those were options.

My answer walked in the front door a moment later.

As I continued debating my limited options, something compelled me to glance up as the door opened. I rarely did that; I didn't care who was coming or going, because I knew it wasn't going to be Sydney. But that night, I looked.

And as Will Tippin walked towards me, a few ideas fell easily into place.

"Hey Will," I said politely as he slid into a seat next to me.

"Vaughn. What's going on… have you found anything?" I turn back to my drink guiltily, wondering if I had promised to tell him whatever I found. I probably had.

"Yeah… kind of," I mumbled.

"Like what?" he questioned, sounding curious, but not annoyed. I sighed lightly and explained the phone calls and the Vilnius incident to him. When I wrapped up, he was left staring into his drink. I couldn't tell if he was upset at me, or at the things that had happened. When his troubled eyes finally met mine a moment later, I saw the answer shining through them.

"So all that time, you've known she's alive… and you didn't tell me?" I sighed.

"Will, it hasn't been all that long that I've known. To be honest, I've only been 100% sure since Lithuania."

"But the point is, you've had reason to believe she wasn't dead, and you couldn't be bothered to let me know. You've been so-" I cut him off angrily.

"You'll have to excuse me for not making you my top priority, Will. Please, forgive me for spending every waking moment, and most of my sleeping ones, thinking about Sydney and how to get her back. And I'm sorry if I've been too busy trying to avoid Kendall's hounds to check in with you. So sorry, but it just seems that I have a few more important things to do," I hissed, trying not to draw any attention from the very few patrons at the bar at that time. Will was now looking away, and I could tell that he had gotten the point.

"Wait… what did you mean about Kendall's hounds?" I grimaced; I really hadn't meant to let that slip.

"I meant that…" I stopped and glanced nervously at the bartender. I was about to make something up when Will nodded in understanding.

"Let's go." I quickly paid for my drink and followed him out. 

"Your car or mine?" he asked.

"Yours," I said quickly, knowing that would be harder for Kendall to spot. He led me over to it and a few minutes later, we were driving aimlessly.

"So what happened?"

"Kendall claims to believe I'm responsible for Irina's break and Jack's disappearance. In all honesty, I just think he's trying to pin something on me so he can haul me in and keep me under control."

"Does he not want Syd found?" Will asked with ill concealed anger.

"It's not that… at least, I don't think it's that… he's just having the hardest time accepting the fact that he no longer has me under his thumb in any way, shape, or form."

"Did he ever?" Will asked, a trace of amusement touching his voice.

"Somewhat. I had enough respect for his… superior status to listen to his orders. But now…" I trailed off and shook my head. I could see Will grinning. But the look faded a moment later.

"But doesn't he know where you live?" I nodded.

"Yes. But I've been in Lithuania since he decided this yesterday. And now… well, I don't know what next." I had truly been considering Will as a possibility… but I wasn't sure that was such a good idea. Jack's old place was an option… but it was probably closely monitored by both the CIA and SD-6, and it was also probably empty already. Will's timid voice broke through my thoughts.

"You could stay at my place for a while… if you don't mind sleeping on the couch, that is." I glanced at him mildly.

"Are you sure?" he nodded as he made a rather jerky right turn.

"I don't mind at all. And, uh… I'm sorry about what I said. Back at the bar, I mean. It was… pretty stupid. And I do know that you're-" I stopped him, sensing how hard it was for him to put his thoughts into words.

"Will, don't worry. I know it's hard not knowing anything.  But… just don't worry. I promise I'll do a better job of keeping you up to date in the future."

"Thank you." I looked out the window in silence for a few moment, until Will spoke again.

"Hey, do you need to go back and get your car?" I shook my head.

"Nah. It'd be better to just leave it there for now. I'll get Weiss to cover my ass as much as he can… but I don't think it would help to be driving my government car around." Will chuckled.

"No, I don't suppose it would."

"I shouldn't be here more than a month- I can leave earlier if you need me to- and I'll probably be gone a lot." 

"Ok, that's fine by me." After a fairly companionable silence, Will stopped in front of a nice apartment complex.

"Room 7 on the 4th floor," he stated as he got out. I followed him up. As we walked in, I took a quick look around. His apartment wasn't highly decorated, nor heavily furnished. But it was a nice place, seemed comfortable, and I knew I wouldn't have a problem being there for a month or so. Finally, I turned to Will again.

"Thank you for letting me stay here. I really do appreciate it."

"Not at all, Vaughn. The couch is right over there- I imagine you must be pretty tired?" As soon as he said the words, I realized it was true.

"Yeah… I am, actually."

"Feel free to crash out. I've got some stuff to do, I'll be back in a few hours." I smiled at him as I felt my eyes growing heavier.

"Thanks again," I yawn, just before getting comfortable and falling into a nightmarish sleep. Had I known then that it would be the last it of uninterrupted sleep I would get for a long time, I may have relished it more. But as it was, I simply battled my way through it, and prepared for a long day of waiting to hear from Jack.

Susan: Well, now you've seen what happens next! Hee… and, gee, I just don't know who's 'Ticked at Syd…' *innocent smile*

Jade: An overgrown Keebler cookie elf? LOL! And you need a shippery fix… I might be able to handle that sometime.

Kristin: Ah, now that made a lot more sense. Thanks for taking the time to clear it up for me, and I hope I wasn't too rude in my last reply to you.

Sarah: Glad you like. I try to be fairly equal with the updates between this and WTD, so that should be getting an update soon.

Ryanne: Well, I won't tell you if your theories are on target, because that would just ruin all my fun! Hee.

Secret Agent Girl: I'm continually amazed by how often I get called evil… hehehe. Must be something to it… 

HappyRin: Glad UpdateGabs makes you HappyRin… we like HappyRin. Hehe… you're awesome!

Ticked at Syd: Chemistry, huh? Well… it's certainly a pairing I hadn't considered…


	26. Ch 26

The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for my cell phone, which I always kept right next to the pillow, knowing that Jack and Irina could call at any time. I looked at the time display and discovered that it was 9:07. The room was dark, the windows all covered with heavy blinds, and I was unsure if it was 9 AM or 9 PM. So I got up off the couch and wandered towards Will's main room. I found him sitting, watching a baseball game on TV, with a bouquet of flowers on the couch next to him. Looking out, I could finally see that it was most definitely nighttime. 

"Who's playing?" I asked tiredly. Will started slightly, and gave me a weary look.

"Cardinals and Marlins."

"Who's winning?"

"Cards. Jim Edmonds just hit another home run." I nodded and rubbed my eyes.

"Gee Will, you bought me flowers? Really, you shouldn't have." This finally got him to look at me, and he grinned.

"Hardly. They're for Francie." I smiled slightly.

"Bathroom?" I questioned. He pointed down the hall absently, his attention fully centered on the game again. 

"Thanks," I mumbled as I headed in the general area indicated. I took a quick shower, put the same clothes on, and headed back out to join Will.

When I got into the room, Will wasn't the one waiting for me. He was nowhere to be found. As I went further into the room, a shape materialized from the shadows. It startled me, but I tried not to let it show as I recognized the being.

"Sark."

"Agent Vaughn." A moment later, Will came back from the kitchen. He was about to say something to me when he noticed Sark. Looking shocked, Will dropped his glass of water, which shattered on the floor. He took a deep breath, and glared at Sark.

"Why's he here?" Will finally managed, directing it towards me.

"I don't know." Will gave me a long, uncertain look, but finally nodded.

"Fine." He turned and walked back to the kitchen, and I faced Sark.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked.

"Necessary? No… it was fun," he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"He raised a good question: why are you here?"

"Jack and Irina sent me."

"Naturally. I assume there's a reason behind it, and not just the pleasure of your company?"

"As amusing as that would surely turn out to be, they wanted me to tell you that it's not safe to stay here." At this point, Will ventured back out. Sark didn't even spare him a glance.

"Seems to be a rather obvious conclusion to me," I noted sarcastically.

"Do you know how long it took us to track you down?"

"Can't say I do."

"Not even ten full hours." I had to admit to being somewhat surprised at how easy it was.

"Fine. So what am I supposed to do?"

"Come with me."

"What? Just like that?" Sark raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like some time to pack your belongings?" he asked dryly. I frowned at him.

"Is it safe to go with him?" Will interjected, glaring at Sark, who continued to pointedly ignore him.

"Nothing is ever truly safe. Everything is a test." Will looked confused by my statement, but took it at face value.

"If you say so man…" he trailed off uncertainly. 

"Don't worry. Sark… where are we going, exactly?"

"If you have to ask, you're not ready to know." With that, he turned and walked out. I sighed.

"He's beginning to get on my nerves," I told Will. He smiled faintly, and I could tell that he was still shaken up by the visit.

"If anything happens, I'll let you know as soon as I possibly can," I promised.

"Thanks man. Be careful, ok?"

"Sure. Thanks again Will." He nodded, and I turned to leave. As I closed the door behind me, I could hear him beginning to pick up the pieces of the glass on the floor. I wished it could be as easy to pick up the pieces of my own shattered life. 

I quickly located Sark's car, and made my way over to it. He gave me a strange look as I got in, a look I wasn't willing to even attempt deciphering. Starting the car, he finally took his eyes off of me, and I sighed lightly.

"We'll be meeting them in Pasadena. From there, we're all going to Naxos, a small island off the coast of Greece. Irina has some kind of intel leading us there."

"I thought you said that if I had to ask, I wasn't ready know," I pointed out. He gave me another one of his looks.

"I wasn't about to say any of that in front of Tippin."

"He's trustworthy," I argued.

"No one is trustworthy," Sark refuted. I shook my head.

"Whatever floats your boat…" I muttered, hardly surprised by his response. The rest of the drive passed in cold silence, and we soon arrived at a park in Pasadena. Being past 10 PM, the place was essentially deserted. Sark walked quickly, not telling me a word about where we were meeting them. Finally, I caught sight of Jack and then Irina, waiting patiently.

"Sorry to be so abrupt Michael. We were afraid Kendall- or someone else- might catch up with you." I nodded.

"Fine, I understand. So we might have something in Greece?" Irina looked at me cautiously.

"Yes, nothing concrete, but we'll take what we can get. The plane leave in half an hour; let's get moving."

As if it's not completely obvious, I'm considering entering this chapter into the SD-1 May challenge. I haven't totally decided yet… but all the elements are there, just in case. As for the quotes:

~Necessary? No… it was fun. –Bullseye in Daredevil

~Everything is a test. –James Clayton in The Recruit

~ If you have to ask, you're not ready to know; he's beginning to get on my nerves. –CreepyCaller in Phone Booth.

**Worried shipper/crazy stalker/rin:** Hey, it's all synonymous, right? On to the reviewage… ok, so you have no life(that part's implied), I update, you obsess, and everyone's happy? Is that how it works?

**SAG:** Yup, I saw the finale. Yeah, fairly evil, but having had a few days to get over it, I think I'm ok with it now… I trust JJ for now. Anyway, here's hoping you _do_ make it to September!

**Chat:** Wow… that review was little yellow bus special… ;) And oh, of course it's my fault that you killed Vaughn… suuuure, blame Gabs. Sure… I see how it is…

**Ryanne: **Hehe I saw the finale, don't worry about ruining anything! Still not sure what I think, but kinda like I told SAG, I'll trust JJ until he gives me reason not to… thanks for reviewing!****


	27. Ch 27

I actually had this done late last night… but I was too tired to formulate cohesive feedback responses, so you had to wait… sorry!

The plane ride was as uneventful as I could have hoped for, considering the company I was keeping. Sark worked on his laptop in a fairly secluded corner; Jack alternated between staring out the window and speaking in low tones with Irina, who passed the rest of her time on the phone. I didn't know who she was speaking to- half the time I didn't even know what language she was speaking in- but her eyes told me it was about Sydney, and that was good enough for me. 

For my part, I basically just thought how strange the situation truly was. It wasn't the first time that had occurred to me, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. But it was something I couldn't help dwelling on.

Francie interrupts me, somewhat timidly. I don't really want another disturbance in an already difficult story, but I can see that something must have confused her, so I nod for her to ask her question.

"Sorry, kinda going in reverse here, but… you mean to tell me you were living with my boyfriend and I still never knew?"

"It was only for a day, Francie, if that. It wasn't safe for me to be there- which I should have realized. I shouldn't have put Will in that kind of position."

"I take it Will doesn't get along with this Sark guy?" I take a breath, wondering just how much to say in response.

"That… could be an understatement," I reply carefully. She raises an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Um…" After a moment's contemplation, I decide that I might as well tell her everything. She already knows the truth about Sydney- finding out about just how deep Will was won't make things any worse.

"I told you that he became involved with this, but I didn't tell you exactly how." She nods, but I'm having difficulty finding the words to continue.

"Michael?"

"Ok, to be blunt, Will was tortured by Sark, but saved by Sydney, Jack, and myself." Francie is quite obviously surprised by this revelation.

"Oh…" she thinks for a moment. "When did this happen?"

"The whole drug addict thing… it was a cover. I think I told you that. Do you remember picking him up from the police station, finding him pretty beaten up?"

"Yes."

"That wasn't from drugs or whatever it was he told you. That was from Sark having him tortured."

"Wait… so you're telling me that this guy who tortured one of her best friends was helping you to find Syd?" I shrug.

"It's a very strange world, Francie." She leans back slightly, trying to absorb all of the information.

"I can see that… sorry for interrupting, back to the trip." I nod.

"Right. Greece…"

Upon landing on the island of Naxos, Irina pulled out a map and told us that our options had been narrowed down to two villages: Koronos or Komiaki. Noting that Koronos was much smaller, and thus any suspicious strangers would surely draw unwanted attention, she recommended that we focus our efforts on Komiaki. No one debated, so off to Komiaki it was.

With the island being as small as it was, it didn't take us long to drive from where we had landed in Chora Naxos, the largest village on the island, out to Komiaki. Once there, I felt even more lost, having absolutely no idea where to begin. Even Sark looked a bit overwhelmed. Jack and Irina, however, were as calm as always.

"What now?" I questioned.

"Now, we wait."

"Excuse me?" I stared at Irina. After her frenzied activity on the plane, that was the last thing I expected to hear her say.

"We have a contact on the way. He has the information we're looking for, as well as any equipment we may need. Michael, I know it's not quite what you expected, but for now, it's all we have to work with." I nodded at Jack, then frowned as something in his words caught my attention.

"Wait a minute… all we're doing here is meeting a contact?" He nodded shortly.

"So why all the worry about which village to go to?" Sark questioned, catching my line of thought.

"He wouldn't tell us exactly where to meet him. We're lucky he narrowed it down as far as he did- I wouldn't have been surprised if the only thing he gave us to go on was Greece. He's done similar things before," Irina concluded.

"Why the cloak and dagger?" I asked.

"He's a wanted man. There's a price on his head in more countries than I care to recall," she replied. Somehow, I wasn't surprised.

"Suppose you're wrong," Sark said suddenly. 

"What?" Irina looked a bit surprised.

"Suppose you're wrong about which village we were supposed to wait in. What then?"  
"We're not wrong," Jack said confidently.

"Suppose you are," Sark pressed.

"We aren't. He told me 'Naxos ko,' meaning somewhere in Naxos that begins with those letters. The only villages that do are Koronos, Kourounoxori or Komiaki. He then mentioned emery excavation caves, which eliminated Kourounoxori. Last, he recommended the local wine… which is one of the things Komiaki is most known for. Speaking of, why don't we go order some while we await his arrival?" We all followed Irina as she led the way down the streets of Komiaki to a tavern.

"Is that what you two were doing on the plane?" I asked her and Jack. He nodded.

"For the most part, yes." We found a tavern moments later, and went in to get comfortable. After ordering a bottle of the local wine, we all fell into a difficult silence.

"Who is this contact?" Sark finally asked.

"You'll know him when you see him," Irina promised enigmatically. Sark seemed annoyed by this response. I was irrationally pleased; for once, I wasn't the only one in the dark. 

Our wine soon arrived, and we drank in silence as we awaited the arrival of this mysterious contact. I looked up each time the door creaked open, but was disappointed each time. Irina herself was beginning to look annoyed. An hour later, the wine was gone, and the contact was still not there. Irina threw out a few curses in Russian- which I only knew to be Russian because of Jack- and even Sark seemed uncharacteristically antsy. Finally, the door creaked one last time, and looking at Irina swiftly, I knew he had finally arrived.

I turned to see the soft Greek light flowing in through the opening, and a moment later, the man known only as 'Suit and Glasses' came through the door.

****

Happiest little stalker in the world: Well, you know I just live to make you happy, so I'm very… er, happy to hear this.

****

Darrel doomvomit: Colin Farrell obsession? Me? *innocent look* Well… maybe just a little… 

****

Carrie: Glad you've caught up! Syd will be… well, I can't really say, cuz that would just ruin the fun, but considering that I'm leaving for almost 3 weeks starting June 18th, I'd rather prefer to have this done by then…

****

SAG: Ah yes, getting to September… I have a fairly busy summer (see above) but I'll certainly do my best to help others survive. And yes, Colin Farrell rocks my world as well… hehe.

****

Ryanne: The premiere, bigger than the finale? Wow… that should be good then. Wow… thanks for the consistent reviews!

****

Jaclyn: Your new best friend? Hee… when I saw the movie quote requirement, I knew I had to use something from Colin. He's just so… eh, I won't go on about him, I do that often enough… anyway, thanks for reviewing!

****

Jade: Er… sorry, no shipperness in site… :p I can do ScaredWill though… he'll be putting in more appearances in the future.

****

Chat: Goodness… no, subtlety is not your strong point… I made you kill Vaughn? Whatever… but hey, if you want to give me the credit for that… hee. And yes, little yellow bus special… were you not around the SSG the many times we've talked about it? :confused: Ok… now, go update Wraith, kill some more people! 


	28. Ch 28

        I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I quickly turned my head to stare at Irina and Jack, and noticed Sark with the same shocked look.

        "What the hell is going on here?" I hissed. I heard a slight creak, and noticed that Suit and Glasses, in a wheelchair courtesy of Will, was beginning to approach our table.

        "Our contact has arrived," Irina stated simply.

        "So I gathered," I retorted dryly.

        "Why him?" Sark questioned quietly.

        "You've worked with him before," Jack noted.

        "That doesn't mean I trust him."

        "He has connections," Irina said shortly. "That's all we need."

        "And if he doesn't prove useful?" Sark asked. The look on Irina's face was all the answer anyone needed. 

We all turned our attention to the Asian man as he came to a stop by the side of our table. He gave Jack, Sark, and myself a long, suspicious look before cautiously holding a packet out to Irina. She pulled it from his hand and ripped it open. After taking a few moments to scan the first document, she wordlessly handed it to Jack and briefly glared at Suit and Glasses. He didn't even flinch, which unnerved me more than anything else. No one could handle Irina Derevko like that.

        "How reliable is this?" Jack finally asked.

        "It is from the most reliable source I have," Suit and Glasses replied calmly.

        "And how reliable is that?" Sark shot back, sounding less than trusting.

        "Quite reliable." His eyes didn't even flicker towards Sark as he said this. This action, or lack thereof, obviously disturbed Sark, who fell silent. The quiet endured as Jack and Irina took turns reading over the pages in the file, before passing them on to Sark and myself. Finally, all of the documents had been read by everyone. There was a moment of silence, as we took the time to process the information.

        "So… we're off to the Maldives?" Sark asked. Irina nodded, gathering the papers from each of us and carefully putting them back into the large envelope.

        "Yes. We're off to the Maldives."

        "Wait… who's this Suit and Glasses guy? Doesn't he have a name? I mean, a real name?" Francie looks confused again, and I can hardly blame her.

        "Well… I don't really know who he is, to be honest. He worked for Irina for a time, and he's, uh… well versed in various torture techniques." Francie's eyebrows lift.

        "Oh."

        "Actually, he was the one who interrogated Will when…" I fall off, realizing that's probably not the most sensitive thing to say. Her eyebrows only draw tighter, and the confusion deepens. Sparks of something resembling anger seem to flash into her eyes.

        "And you were working with these people?"

        "I didn't have much of a choice," I remind her. She nods in acquiescence.

        "Fine. So anyway… Maldives?"

        "Right… Maldives."

        "Where, exactly, are we going?" I asked.

        "The Maldives. They're an island chain in the Arabian Sea. More specifically, we're going to the capital, Male," Irina replied.

        "I suggest you familiarize yourself with the history contained within those papers before your trip," Suit and Glasses said cryptically.

        "Thank you for the recommendation," Jack said harshly. The Asian man glared at us all before turning and wheeling out. I could feel myself finally calming down as his long shadow finally disappeared. I turned to face the rest of the group. On the surface, nothing had changed… all still wore their poker faces. Each persons eyes, however, told a different story. 

        Sark seemed troubled. I didn't know why, and I would never have been able to decipher him if I tried, but it was their, plain as day. It worried me. Sark wasn't one to react in such a manner. Come to think of it, he had been acting odd ever since we arrived in Naxos.

        Jack looked determined. There was a slight trace of doubt in his eyes, but nothing compared to Sark. Above all, he looked resolved to do whatever it took.

        Irina, per usual, was more difficult to decipher. Finally, I decided she was a mixture of Jack and Sark. She was determined, but anxious… certain, but doubtful. She was a contrast of emotions, complicated and yet so simple. 

        She was just like her daughter.

**Rin:** Hee… you crack me up. Yes, we all know how you feel about 'here' and yes, I know the Man thread belongs to you. Thanks again for letting me borrow it.

**Jacyln:** Yeah, Suit and Glasses is the Asian torturer dude who's been in a few eps…

**SAG:** Hehe yup, Creepy Asian Dentist himself… and this equals score? Heh. And plans have changed… this won't be done my the 18th of June after all.

**hardshoe:** Hey, long time no see! I understand that whole school thing… stupid school… glad to hear from you again!

**Jade:** Hmm… I still seem devoid of shipperness here… and, lol, I don't think we'll see any ScaredAsaBunnyWill… I do like him, you know. ;)

**Ryanne:** I've already heard too much about the premiere as it is… *sigh* (spoiler free here) ah well. Again, thanks for reviewing!


	29. Ch 29

        "The Maldives are located southwest of India, in the Arabian Sea," Irina trailed off, looking over the documents. We had each had time to read them before we boarded the plane, and she was now summarizing the most important aspects.

        "The population is estimated to be around 321,000. English is spoken by most government officials, but not by many in the general public." She paused again.

        "So what language is spoken?" I asked, sensing that that wasn't one of the things she was going to reiterate. I had read it, but it had slipped my mind by that point.

        "Maldivian Dhivehi, a dialect of Sinhala, which is a script derived from Arabic."

        "Maldivian Dhivehi… do any of us speak this language?" Irina shook her head, and I admit to being somewhat surprised. She was always the one with all the answers, and the fact that she didn't have that one was a bit unsettling.

        "I know enough to, hopefully, get us where we need to go… wherever that may be," Jack said. I ran a hand through my hair; somehow, that still wasn't quite comforting.

        "I speak it." All eyes turned to Sark, who gave us each a coolly detached look of superiority.

        "Fluently?" I questioned.

        "Quite." His cold eyes begged me to challenge. I didn't, but I was almost happy to see this side of him returning. It was a personality I knew how to handle, whereas the troubled, doubtful Sark I'd seen in Naxos was beyond my understanding.

        "Where'd you pick up this skill?" Irina questioned.

        "Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa," Sark replied. I quickly flipped through the papers I held.

        "So you've been to the Maldives before?" Jack asked.

        "Yes. Specifically, the Addu Atoll." It was then that I found what I had been looking for: a piece of information confirming that, as I had thought, Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa was the local long form of the countries name.

        "Good. That should prove useful," Jack noted.

        "One would certainly hope," Sark said dryly. Irina pulled out a folder, digging through it until she produced one piece of paper. She scanned it quickly.

        "Here's the plan: once we reach Male, we need to find a man named Rikishi Maivia. He works for President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, so he shouldn't be too difficult to locate. He knows we're coming, which will help to speed things up. We don't know why, exactly, we're meeting Rikishi. He may be just another contact on a long line of them, or he may produce more immediate results. Either way, we need to be careful. He may not be entirely trustworthy."

        "I'd say that's a foregone conclusion," Sark stated. I again recalled his distrust of 'Suit and Glasses,' and wondered what had brought that on. Irina gave him a warning look, and a million things seemed to have been said, as Sark quieted down and stared out the window, still keeping an ear on the conversation.

        "We still have a long flight ahead of us- I'd guess we're over Egypt right now- so I strongly suggest that everyone take the opportunity to get some sleep," Jack said. He appeared to be taking his own advice, as he stood and walked away a moment later. Being Irina's private plane, I knew there had to be a decent bed somewhere, and I guessed that was where he was headed.

        "I'll be in my office if you need anything." She also stood and left the area. I stared after her and Jack dubiously for a moment before getting comfortable on the spacious black leather couch. Sark suddenly sighed in aggravation, and I opened one eye to watch him as he entered the cockpit. I was suddenly alone for the first time in days.

        I shifted my position, making myself more comfortable, before dropping my head back down and allowing my eyes to drift shut. I was fast approaching a deep sleep when images started filtering unbidden through my mind. It came as no surprise; decent sleep had become a thing of the past. I had grown accustomed to the endlessly dark procession of thoughts and memories, hopes and fears.

        What did come as a surprise was how much darker than usual these were. The theme, as always, was Sydney, but that day, the recurring image was of Lithuania… Sydney running from me, the fear in her eyes, the pain on her face, was as vivid in my mind as it had been that day. It was unbearable.

        But it went beyond that, to visions of Sydney's death. Those visions were brutally haunting, and possessed more detail than I had previously thought myself capable of conjuring. They kept me bordering on the fine line between sleep and awareness. They were living torture, and frightened me more than anything in my life ever had.

        Finally, those images faded, allowing me to slip into unconsciousness. The reprieve didn't last long; my mind soon found itself conversing with Sydney in dreams. I felt the pull of reality, trying to draw me out before I slipped too far.

        Reality lost, and I became fully submerged in a nightmare world.

        "Vaughn." She spoke softly, sounding strained.

        "Syd… so much blood… what happened?"

        "They killed me," she said simply.

        "Who did?" I asked, my throat clenching.

        "They did. They killed me because you didn't stop them." My chest tightened, and I could feel the tears beginning.

        "Syd, I don't understand… what do you mean? Who didn't I stop?"

        "Them. You didn't stop them. Why Vaughn? Why'd you let them do it?"

        "No, Syd, no. I didn't let them… I didn't mean to…"

        "But you did. You let them kill me. Why? Why didn't you stop them Vaughn?"

        "I don't know! I'm sorry… Syd, I'm so sorry… I couldn't. There was nothing I could do…"

        "Yes there was. You could have stopped them. You could have saved me. But the time is gone to act now. Why?"

        "If I had known then whatever I know now… but Syd, I don't. I don't know why."

        "You left me Vaughn. Please, don't leave me again. If you do, they'll kill me all over again."

        "Syd, I would die before I would let that happen. You know that!" She looked straight at me, her tears piercing my soul.

        "No. You're leaving me now Vaughn."

        "Syd… no, I'm not going anywhere. Here I am. Sydney, here I am!"

        "Promise me Vaughn. Promise."

        "I swear Sydney, nothing will stop me. As long as I'm alive, I will find you."

        "Vaughn." I struggled, trying to remain within sight of Sydney. It was no use… she was gone.

        "Vaughn." My eyes flew open, and I instantly saw Irina standing near me. Neither Jack nor Sark were in sight. Her dark eyes held a look of concern.

        "You were talking in your sleep."

        "Here I am, and I'm still living…" Irina frowned.

        "What?" I met her eyes finally.

        "I won't let it happen."

        "Won't let what happen?" Her confusion was evident.

        "We have to stop them… they won't do it again." Everything Sydney had said in my dream was still fresh in my mind. To me, it wasn't just nonsensical ramblings… it was real.

        We had to save Sydney. It was the only way.

**SAG:** That was two weeks ago… so I have no idea which av that was. I've probably changed it 50 times since then… lol. Yeah, can't be finished by the 18th… first of all, no time, and second… well, I've been threatened if I end it by then, so… it's in my own best interests…

**Ryanne:** Spoiler free is fun… if you're at SD-1 (I think I've seen you… or maybe not…) you could drop by the Save Me From Spoilers Support Group… it's a lot of fun. Thanks for the review!

**Jade:** Demanding aren't you? ;) Gee… you want shipperness, you want ScaredAsABunnyWill… let's see if I can deliver at least one of those…


	30. Ch 30

Hope you all enjoy this update, because… eh, we'll 'talk' at the end…

"Michael, is anything wrong?"  I glanced up from where I had been staring out the window, and found Jack looking at me in concern.

"Why do you ask?" I questioned, turning my gaze outward once again. Somehow, the endlessly dark miles of sky were a vague comfort.

"Irina told me that you were having an unpleasant dream." I grunted slightly, not really wanting to talk about it. Jack, however, was not easily deterred.

"She didn't go into detail. Perhaps you'd care to."

"Not particularly," I replied, the haunting aspects of the dream still torturing my mind. He sighed lightly.

"Vaughn, don't tell me I'm going to have to force it out of you." One look into his eyes was all I needed to be sure- he wasn't joking. He was willing to do whatever it took to make me talk.

"Why? Why are you so determined? It was just a dream… just a stupid dream. It can't be real. It means nothing." That wasn't what I had originally believed, in my first reflections upon the dream. But the more time I had to think, the more I became convinced that it was simply the byproduct of a fearful imagination. I spent close to an hour convincing myself that it couldn't mean anything. But deep down, I still knew the truth.

It was a warning. And it was something I needed to take seriously if I wanted to stop it from coming to life.

"I'll tell you why I am so determined, Vaughn." Jack's voice interrupts my thoughts, and I caught his use of my last name for the second time in that conversation. It was a bad sign.

"I'm determined because we need you. You are, perhaps, the most essential element in our search for Sydney. If you're having some kind of breakdown, that endangers everything. Even if it's just a stress-induced nightmare, keeping it to yourself like this cannot do any good whatsoever. Now, do you understand why I'm so determined?" I nodded slowly.

"Yeah… I do."

"Good. Now, as I was saying… what was your dream about?" I kept my eyes firmly focused on the night sky as I told him about it. The nightmare conversation with Sydney was still fresh in my mind, and it wouldn't leave me in peace. There was a long silence after I finished relating the vision to him, during which I began to wonder if he hadn't just slipped away. It was only when I forced my gaze away from the outside darkness that he began to speak.

"Is this the first time you've had this dream?"

"This particular one? Yes."

"You've had similar?"

"When haven't I?"

"How often?"

"Almost every night." I began to feel as though I were talking to Barnett, not Jack.

"Since when?"

"Since I lost her." There was another silence, shorter this time, before Jack spoke again.

"What are they usually about?" Suddenly, something within me broke, and I flew to my feet.

"I am not answering anymore of your questions Jack. I understand and appreciate your concern, but these are things I have to deal with in my own way, on my own time. I know you will neither like nor agree with it, but that's how it has to be. Please don't press the issue- I won't be changing my mind." We stared at one another for so long, I almost thought he would fight me then and there. Finally, he nodded slightly.

"Fine. I'll drop it. For now. But sooner or later, Michael, we will continue this conversation." He then turned on his heel and walked out. I glared after him for a time before deciding I should follow suit. Having no other way to turn, I walked in the opposite direction, towards the cockpit.

I stopped halfway down that short hallway, leaning against the wall in an effort to regain my composure. Jack had left me quite unsettled, and I knew it would be in my own best interest to get a handle on my anger before I spoke to either him or Irina again. Just as I finally felt calm, something else happened to throw me off yet again.

I straightened up and turned to head back to where I had been sitting earlier, when I heard a door creak open. I spun around and found myself face to face with Sark.

"Agent Vaughn. You and I need to talk."

As I was saying… hope you liked, because I'm heading out to Europe until July 2nd, so it'll be at least that long before another update rears its head around here… I'm sure you'll all be counting the days… right? No? Oh. Ok… well then, on with replies…

Carrie: Chapter 29 is still a flashback… past tense and whatnot…

SAG: Heh. It was probably the Stalin av… or maybe not… I dunno. Hmm… heart wrenching is good… we like heart wrenching…

Nicholette: Haha not pathetic at all… I know exactly who you're talking about. I watched WWE ardently until Jeff Hardy got fired in April… *evil glare* Anyway, thanks for the review!

Crystal Raven: Wow. Thank you so much, that was absolutely awesome. Now… a high speed car chase… I think that can happen sooner or later…

A good sign: Uh… yup. Vaughns still alive. Unless, of course, his ghost is talking… *insert creepy music here* 

Jade: Angsty and emotional… I try. Nice to know I'm successful on occasion.  Gee, more demands for shipperness… you just never quit, do you? ;)

Well, that's it from me for now guys… be back July 2nd, and I'll have a new fic around that time (which, unfortunately, I know for sure some of you won't like, but we won't get into that right now) and I'll probably have more of this for you all then. You rock, I'll miss you! ~Gabs


	31. Ch 31

I got tired of trying to get the laptop to cooperate… so, I retyped it all. Sorry it took so long! Also, it's about twice as long as usual… so you better enjoy it!

"We have nothing to talk about, Sark," I said slowly. He had attracted my interest, that much was true, but I truly saw nothing we had reason to converse over.

        "On the contrary, Mr. Vaughn. We have plenty to discuss."

        "Oh really? Such as…?" I could see by the look he gave me- he thought I was an idiot for even asking that question.

        "I think you know what I'm referring to." I thought briefly. It was true, I did know. But I wanted to her him say her name aloud. I wanted to know precisely what he was after before I would commit myself to anything, even a simple conversation. So I replied antagonistically.

        "No… no, I don't think I do." In the blink of an eye, his manner changed completely.

        "Do you think this is funny, Agent Vaughn? Some kind of game, perhaps?"

        "I don't, but you sure as hell seem to."

        "This is not a game to me. Not in the least."

        "You sure haven't proved it."

        "There is nothing I need to prove to you, nor anything I could do even if I wanted to. You've made up your mind about me, that much is obvious, and nothing will ever dissuade you." Before I could formulate a reply, we were interrupted.

        "What is going on here?" Irina demanded irately. Sark and I glared at one another.

        "Just a bit of a disagreement," Sark stated.

        "I noticed," Irina said dryly. "We could hear you all the way down the hall, in my office."

        "I apologize," Sark said stiffly, before brushing past me and proceeding towards a private room.

        "What was that about?" Irina questioned.

        "I don't know," I replied truthfully.

        "How can you not know? You were here the whole time, weren't you?"

        "Yes," I said through clenched teeth.

        "So what went on?"

        "I don't have a clue, I told you that once! Apparently, you don't believe me, but it's true- I have no idea what just happened. I've already told Jack this, and now I evidently need to tell you as well: I am tired of answering questions left and right, and I'm not going to do it anymore." I waited for her to challenge me. Instead, she merely inclined her head slightly.

        "Fine."

        "Fine? You're not going to argue?"

        "We can't force you to answer anything, can we? Therefore, there is no reason for me to attempt to reverse your decision when your mind is quite obviously made up, quite firmly. I will, however, encourage you to rethink your decision." I almost sighed in relief, though a nagging doubt remained.

        "We land in half an hour," she called over her shoulder as she walked away. I looked around wearily, then returned to a seat by the window to watch for the approaching land.

        "Seems like you've spent half your life in a plane. I would hate that," Francie notes absently. She doesn't seem to realize she's said it out loud, interrupting me again in the process, until she notices that I haven't resumed the story.

        "Oh… sorry. Just a little observation…" she says hesitantly. I smile slightly.

        "Don't worry about it. This isn't the exciting part anyway. And yes, there was a stretch of time where I never went near LA, and not just because I was avoiding Kendall. Even if it was Irina's private jet, after all that time, you start to realize how much planes really do…" I pause to search for the word I want.

        "Suck?" Francie suggests. I almost laugh.

        "That sounds about right. But as it turned out, our time in the skies wasn't over quite yet…"

        An hour after my confrontation with Sark, the four of us were waiting cautiously for Rikishi Maivia to show his face. When he finally did so, it was with an amount of caution and trepidation equal to ours.

        "You are here for the information?" he questioned nervously.

        "We're here to find Sydney Bristow," Jack replied authoritatively. I could see his tactic- Maivia was obviously skittish, and it wouldn't take too much effort to frighten a confession out of him if he had anything to hide.

        "I don't know where she is," he began hesitantly. Jack took a deliberate step forward, and Maivia stumbled back.

        "I don't know, I swear! But I am supposed to give you instructions to reach your next contact."

        "Another contact?" Sark said angrily. Irina gave him a silencing look.

        "Just how many contacts are we supposed to have before we find someone with real information?" she demanded.

        "I do not know. The source must cover all tracks."

        "The source? What the hell is this, Charmed?" I had lost all patience as well by that point.

        "You watch Charmed?" Sark asked. I shot him a scathing glare, and he shrugged uncaringly. I turned back to see Jack giving Maivia a warning.

        "Do not move a muscle," he said slowly. The Maldivian nodded, and Jack faced Sark and myself, Irina at his elbow.

        "You two can not keep on like this. You don't get along, and you likely never will- that's acceptable. What is, however, unacceptable is the way you continually put my daughter's very existence in danger with your senseless bickering. The fact that you both want her back safely makes it even more ridiculous. The next one of you to start a petty argument will soon find himself with a broken jaw. Are we clear?" I had the distinct feeling of having just been reprimanded by a teacher or parent. Jack hadn't waited for an answer from either of us, choosing instead to turn his focus back to Maivia who, true to his word, had yet to move an inch.

        "Where do we go from here?"

        "Germany," Maivia said confidently, as if expecting the information to please Jack and Irina. It had just the opposite effect.

        "Germany?" Irina questioned. Maivia nodded.

        "Yes. Munich, more specifically."

        "Are you telling me that we just flew from Greece to the Maldives just to have someone tell us to turn around and go back to Europe?" I began to wonder if Maivia would live through this.

        "Not quite," he said quickly.

        "Explain," Jack demanded tersely.

        "You must fly a different route- you cannot go direct."

        "Well what's the alternate route?" Sark queried impatiently.

        "First you must go to New Zealand- I hear you are familiar with the country- and then, to Alaska. From there, you may proceed to Munich."

        "Why?" Sark questioned.

        "Because Munich is where you make contact."

        "I understand that!" Sark declared, his accent dripping with derision. "Why all the out of the way stops? Is there a point to them, or just more covering tracks for the source?" This last bit was said with a glance towards me.

        "Yes, there is a point."

        "What might that be?" Jack asked.

        "Cannot tell."

        "Excuse me? You're telling us to go completely out of our way, waste precious time and fuel, and you're not going to give us any explanation?" Maivia was definitely grating on my nerves.

        "This is exactly what I tell you." None of us had a ready response for that. Jack sighed in resignation

        "We have to play by their rules if we want to get anywhere. Where, exactly, are we going in New Zealand? Auckland?" Maivia shook his head.

        "No. You must go to Wellington this time. You will find a packet waiting within your plane when you return to it." I narrowed my eyes; his demeanor had done a complete 180-degree turn, and it made me suspicious. I glanced briefly to the other faces around me, trying to get a feel for whether or not anyone else had noticed. I could see that they all had.

        "I assure you, Wellington will be much more pleasant than your visit to Auckland late last year, though it will be no lighter on the surprises. You obviously wish to return to your plane and continue on the journey. However, may I suggest that you wait at least half an hour? It would be in your collective best interest." With a dangerous gleam in his eye, he slipped off down a side alley, leaving all of us completely baffled.

        "What the hell was that?" I demanded.

        "A fairly routine meeting in what promises to be a string of them," Irina replied. I nearly groaned aloud.

        "I don't trust him," Sark declared. I bit the urge to reply, seeing the warning in Jack's eyes.

        "You don't trust anyone," Irina noted dryly. I grinned to myself; she had stolen the words right out of my mouth.

        "You're very nearly correct," Sark replied. "However, this man in particular struck me as odd. We can't take a word he says as truth."

        "I don't take a word any of these people say without a grain of salt. On the other hand, it's all we have to go on, so it's what we'll have to go on," Jack said.

        "So what now?" I questioned.

        "Now, we find a quiet place to sit for the next 27 minutes, and we work through the various possibilities behind the plethora of stops between here and Munich," Irina decided.

        "You don't mean to tell me we're actually going to do as he so kindly suggested?" Sark protested incredulously.

        "We have no other options, Sark. There was obviously some reason for him to have said that. At this point, we can't take any risks. Remember, it's not just our lives on the line anymore," Irina said quietly. Sark nodded to her. We spent the next half hour engaged in thinking of as many options as possible. In the end, the majority of them were scrapped, as none of them seemed truly plausible. Jack and Irina concluded with a simple warning: proceed with caution. From there, it was back to the plane, and in the air to New Zealand.

        When we boarded, we expected to see a manila envelope sitting on a seat. Nothing materialized. After half an hour spent searching every inch of every seat, I gave up. Jack was speaking with the pilots; Irina was searching her office; and Sark had disappeared. As I awaited news on the packet, or lack thereof, I once again busied myself with watching out the window. Before I realized it, I had fallen asleep.

        "Sorry, I have to interrupt you again Michael. I understand everything you've said so far; I understand that you spent more time on a plane than any normal person should; but what I want to know- _need _to know- is did you ever find Sydney Bristow?"

        "I'm getting there Francie, I promise. But I can't tell you right now. There are other things that have to be told first, or else-" she cuts me off angrily.

        "I realize there must be some reason for everything you're telling me, and the order in which you're sharing it. I don't want you to skip right to the end- if there is even an end to the story- I just need you to answer this question for me." I remain silent for a moment, just long enough for her to get angry again.

        "Michael Vaughn, this is not fair, and you know it. I deserve to know… I need to know. Just answer this one simple question, damn it, and I won't ask you any more about it until you reach that point. After Lithuania, have you ever again seen Sydney Bristow?" I'm silent one again, contemplating how best to answer the question. It seems a simple yes or no on the surface, but it's truly a multi-faceted question, and there are things I just can't overlook.

        "Michael… please." The anger has gone out of her voice, replaced only by a quiet desperation. "I have to know."

        "Fine. I can understand that. You want to know if I've seen Sydney since the incident in Lithuania? Ok, I can answer that question for you." I pause again, almost unwilling to go on, but her eyes urge me to continue.

        "Yes. Yes, I have."

Europe was… interesting. Mostly good, some less than good, but I suppose that's to be expected. I'm (slowly) putting my Europe journal online, so if anyone actually wants to read it, just let me know and I'll stop being a bum long enough to dig up the link for you… and now, replies!

**Jacky:** Proper breakdown procedure? I didn't know there was one… I should remember that for my next breakdown.

**Person without a name:** Another demand for S/V shipperness… 

**Jade:** You'll never give up… yeah, I'm starting to catch on to that… hehe. And believe me, I scouted plenty of fun places to ship them off to, as already evidenced with this update…

**SAG:** I'm holding you personally responsible for my sudden use of the word _score_ repeatedly. Just FYI. :p Yeah, the Stalin av scares people… second only to Igor from Young Frankenstein… speaking of, it's av change time again!

**Nancy:** Ah, the joys of the easily amused… yeah yeah, I know… I shouldn't talk… hey, it's been like 3 weeks since we played that game… *ponders*

**Ryanne: **Heh, you already read this update over at SD-1… way to be ahead, lol.


	32. Ch 32

        Michael just excused himself, and headed out of my office to use the restroom and get a drink. Glancing at a clock, I'm hardly surprised- we've been talking for over an hour. I take the brief respite I've been granted to lean back and think. My whole world, everything I've believed in, has just changed… and I think I like it.

        I have no idea where Sydney Bristow is, if she's still alive, why I haven't seen her… I feel completely out of the loop, which I am. Michael Vaughn may know the answers to all of those questions, but I don't. I can only hope, that by the end of the day, I will.

        I wish I would have known all of this 6 years ago. It would have been easier, knowing the truth about Sydney. Knowing that she hadn't just fallen off the face of the earth and been forgotten. But would it have been easier, truly? To know that she was out there somewhere, presumably held hostage, and just kept slipping away… is that what I truly would have preferred? As I think of how I've been reacting to Michael's story over the past hour, I just can't answer that question honestly.

        Last night is a perfect example. I was almost falling asleep at the bar, but then after I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about Sydney, and the truths that would be revealed. I didn't sleep two full hours. Would that have been the norm if I had learned the truth earlier?

        Michael's described some of the events so vividly, I could almost swear I was there. In my mind, I can envision the pain in Sydney's eyes as she turned and ran from him in Lithuania. I can feel the heartbreak as Michael realized just how close he and Irina had gotten to her in Mexico, only to have it all slip right past them. I can sense the shock of that first phone call, and it is overwhelming.

        Suddenly, as if in the distant background, I hear my own phone ringing. I barely realize that I have picked it up and answered, until I hear the voice on the other end.

        "Francie?" I snap out of my trance as I recognize who it is.

        "Fran? Hon, are you ok?" My response comes out before I have time to think about it.

        "Will Tippin, you are so dead!" I can practically see him racking his brain, trying to recall what he may have forgotten that would land him in such a predicament.

        "Umm… ok, ok, wait… it's not your birthday. It's not our anniversary… it's not your dog's birthday-"

        "I don't have a dog," I growl.

        "Which would explain why it's not his birthday," Will adds seamlessly, and I see his tactic. He's trying to use humor to make me forget my anger. But this goes beyond a forgotten date, and it's not something I can get over that quickly.

        "It's nothing like that, Will!" He's silent again.

        "OK, then I'm lost. What did I forget, Francie?"

        "What did you forget? I'll tell you- you conveniently forgot to tell me the truth about our best friend. For six years, Will!" He's deadly silent, and I know he's likely fighting back tears.

        "What are you talking about, Francie?" he whispers, so low I can barely hear him.

        "I'm talking about the fact that for years now, you have known the truth about Sydney. I understand why you two never told me… all our lives depended on it. But for six years now, she's been missing, and did you ever think that it might be a good idea to clue your idiot girlfriend in to what was going on?"

        "Francie-"

        "I'm not finished, Will. I may not have been smart enough, or perhaps I should say nosy enough, to catch on for myself, but did that make me unworthy of knowing the truth about Sydney? Didn't I deserve to know what a truly amazing person my best friend was when I still had a chance to tell her how proud I was? I may never be able to do that now, Will. Is that fair?"

        "No Francie, it's not! Nothing about this situation is fair! It's not fair that Syd's missing, and it's not fair that it wasn't safe to tell you. And you know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe I should've told you everything after Syd disappeared. But I…" he trails off, and I know he's suddenly worried about something.

        "Where are… who are you talking to, Francie?" I don't answer immediately, unsure of how much to tell him. Will Michael be angry with me if I admit it to Will?

        "Francie, please. I need to be sure you're safe." That settles it.

        "Michael," I say softly.

        "Vaughn? Vaughn told you everything?"

        "Well… not everything. He's not done with the story yet."

        "Where are you at?"

        "Why?" I question.

        "Because by now, you probably know as much as I do, if not more. I want to hear whatever Vaughn has left to say." 

        "I don't know if he's going to like that, Will…"

        "I'm not particularly concerned with that, Francie. I need to know what else happened."

        "Fine… we're in my office at the restaurant. I'll tell him you're on your way. But hurry."

        "Thanks Francie."

        "Don't think you're off the hook just yet," I warn before hanging up.

        "Who was that?" Michael asks as he re-enters the room.

        "Umm… Will." He nods.

        "Oh… ok. Where'd we leave off?"

        "Leaving the Maldives, but, uh…"

        "But what?"

        "Well, um… Will is on his way."

        "What?"

        "Yeah… he kinda wants to hear the rest of it." Michael sighs and leans back in the chair, shutting his eyes in the process.

        "Ok… fine." With that, we fall into a slightly tense silence as we await Will's arrival.

**Carrie:** A lot of the time when I need to ship them off somewhere, I think of countries I'm familiar with- I haven't necessarily been to them, but I have some knowledge of places like Germany and New Zealand, so I use those a lot. Or else, I just grab a globe and pick one at random… that's a lot of fun. ;)

**SAG:** Heh… no, I made sure to keep all of my evil tendencies intact when I headed out to Europe. Couldn't lose those, you know- very important for my evil updates.

**Jade:** Never give up? Hmm… well, I'm sure there's something to be said for that… I just don't know what. ;) Well… did you ever specify what kind of shipperness? Cause you know, Francie and Will…

**Thalia:** No… I didn't know about Proper Breakdown Procedure… I must be some kind of idiot. Or maybe it's just because I do live in the middle of nowhere…

**The General:** Wow… someone was busy… so you come here for the sole purpose of stalking? Damn… I feel very special now. And not little yellow bus special either…  oh, and thank you, oh so kind and generous General, for allowing me to go to Europe- it was much appreciated.


	33. Ch 33

                Not much later, Will made his way into the office. Francie stands up and greets him with a brief kiss.

        "We'll talk later," he promises quietly. She nods and returns to her seat as he glances to me.

        "Hey Vaughn."

        "Will," I reply with a slight nod.

        "So what's going on?" he asks. I sigh to myself and give him a brief rundown of the things that have happened since I last saw him.

        "That was just the basics," I conclude. "Francie can fill you in on the details later, if you're both up to it. I, for one, can't deal with telling it all over again." 

        "Perfectly understandable," Will says agreeably.

        "Glad you agree," I reply dryly.

        "So what happened after the Maldives?" Francie cuts in anxiously. I glance at the open door, hesitant to speak again. Francie, closest to it, stands up quickly and shuts it, going so far as to lock it before she sits down again. Will looks at me silently, waiting for me to continue. I take a moment to gather the thoughts that have been scattered by our near-hour long break, and then proceed with the tale.

        On the plane, I slept fitfully for a mere half an hour before waking up to virtual silence. I wondered if Maivia's mysterious packet had been located, and then thought again about his strange actions, the complete change of demeanor. I decided to wipe him from my mind and stood up to go in search of Jack. After listening carefully for a moment, I thought I heard, vaguely, voices down the narrow hall. I followed them, and found myself standing outside the partially open door to Irina's private office. She was in there, speaking with Jack. I was about to knock and enter when something compelled me to stand still. A moment later, I picked up on their conversation.

        "And Jack, I'm going to be completely honest with you: I'm scared." Her slightly shaky voice revealed the truth of these words.

        "I know you are… we all are. But we can not give up hope. If we do, all is lost, and you know that as well as I. Unless we see a body, I will never stop believing that our daughter is out there… and that we will find her."

        "I could never give up on Sydney, I hope you can believe that. But Jack, it's all getting to be-" she cut herself off abruptly, and at the prolonged silence, I peeked in through the marginal slit in the door. Much to my shock, I saw Irina covering her face with one hand, while Jack tenderly held the other. When she dropped her other hand a moment later, I could clearly see all the indications that she had been crying not long ago.

        "It is just… so difficult, and I know it's hard for you too, as well as Michael. But there's so much I still want to… still _need_ to tell her. My greatest desire has always been to see her free to live the life she wants, to be married to the man she loves, to truly fulfill her dreams, and most importantly, to be happy. And the fact is, whether any of us want to admit it or not, that may never happen." I couldn't recall ever hearing such uncertainty, such raw emotion, in Irina Derevko's voice.

        "We will not let that happen," Jack said emphatically. He, on the other hand, sounded completely confident. Irina didn't give him a direct reply, instead saying, "Perhaps you'd better go wake Vaughn." A moment later, I could hear Jack walking towards the door, so I moved away quickly, hoping to make it appear as though I had just woken up and was on my way to Irina's office… which wasn't entirely untrue, when I thought about it. 

As soon as I saw Jack beginning to emerge, I began walking towards the office. He noticed me instantly.

"Michael," Jack said in surprise. "I was just coming to get you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes," he said, giving me a somewhat dubious look.

"Ok. Did you need something?"

"No. Actually, we found the package." I was surprised, not expecting to hear that.

"You did? Let me see it." Jack motioned for me to follow him, and we walked back to Irina's office. When we entered, she had completely regained her composure, and was back to normal. At least, as normal as Irina Derevko gets.

"It was in the computer," she said to my questioning gaze.

"Wait… IN the computer? As in, an e-mail, or what?"

"No. Somehow, the planes systems were hacked into, and this file was left here." I leaned over the desk to look at the screen, and noticed a plain manila folder icon, labeled simply, 'packet.'

"Creative," I growled. "So what's it say?" Irina gave me a look, and then opened the file. A document popped open, and I began reading, only to stop a moment later. It was all encoded. I glanced to Jack in bewilderment.

"Sark is working on it right now," he promised.

"Sark knew about this before me?" I questioned sharply.

"He was the one who found it," Irina said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Besides which, you were asleep," Jack added.

"This is important enough to be woken up for," I said tightly.

"Sark discovered it not twenty minutes ago, Vaughn, and Irina and I had things to discuss. I was on my way out to get you, as you know." I rubbed my jaw and tried to get over my own annoyance.

"Fine. Any idea how long it'll take him to decode it?"

"This isn't a very complicated one- I've deciphered a few words myself- so I should expect him to be back in here any minute."

"Fine. I'm going to go get something to eat, and then I'll be back in here." Jack nodded to me, and I turned to walk out. I had just reached the door when something else occurred to me.

"Wait… was there anything else in that file?" Jack and Irina exchanged looks, and I could practically feel my jaw drop.

"There is… and you weren't planning to tell me, were you?" I demanded angrily.

"Michael, you know I won't hide anything important from you." Jack stated calmly.

"Do I really, Jack? Because honestly, I don't know what to think anymore. Half the time, I don't think you're telling me everything you know. Now, you may not think it's important, but I do. What else is in that file?" Jack looked to Irina again, and I could sense them conversing with just their eyes. It only added to my anger.

"God damn it, Jack, you two can't do this to me!"

"Fine! You know what, Michael? Sark hasn't even seen this picture either, and there's a reason for that. We were going to show both of you once we had the packet decoded. But if this is what it takes to make you trust me again, than that's what will happen. Get over here." I moved back over, in view of the computer, and saw Irina searching for something. A moment later, a .jpg image file came into sight, and she clicked that open. Being as small as it was, I had to lean closer.

It was blurry, and it was dark, but there was no mistaking Sydney Bristow's face staring out at us.

**SAG:** You no longer like me? Just because I might be a little bit evil? *innocent look* Now don't go dying me on, we're not done yet… hehehehe. 

**Lara783:** Geesh, someone else calling me evil… lol. Microbiology? Ooh, that's all beyond me… I'm more of a history/linguistic person… hehe.

Thanks for the feedback! … all 2 of you… lol.


	34. Ch 34

A short time later, I was sitting on the luxurious leather couch in Irina's private office, slowly working on a cup of coffee. Seeing that picture had eradicated my appetite. I sighed to myself, glancing cautiously at Irina, who was working away at her computer. Jack stood next to her, pointing things out every so often. I didn't know what they were working on, and I didn't really care.

Syd was still alive. That was all that mattered.

I thought back to the picture that had been found in the file. I had studied it for quite a while, going so far as to request that Irina print it out for me. Even under all my scrutiny, I couldn't determine anything for certain, just that it was Sydney. There was no doubt about that. But it was too small, too dark, too blurry for me to be sure of anything else… what condition was she in? Was anyone around her when the picture was taken? If we were to be completely honest with ourselves, Jack, Irina, and myself couldn't even truly say for certain that she was alive when it was taken.

But she was. I couldn't explain it; it was a gut feeling. But I knew it was true.

I fell into silent contemplation, trying to think through the various positions. As Irina had once noted about Jack, a good tactician doesn't make a move until he's seen all the angles. It was becoming obvious to me that I wasn't much of a tactician; there were still too many open-ended questions that I couldn't even begin to grasp. 

"Michael?" Jack's voice, somewhere between concern and annoyance, broke through my reverie, and I quickly glanced over to find him and Irina staring at me.

"I'm sorry, what?" They exchanged glances.

"Are you all right?" Irina asked quietly.

"Did you need something?" I sidestepped her question, not feeling capable of truly answering it.

"We're approaching New Zealand now, thought you might want to know. We should be there within 45 minutes," Jack replied. I nodded.

"Ok. What's the plan when we get there?"

"The three of us will disembark at a private airfield in Wellington. Sark is going to stay here and continue deciphering the packet- he's cracked the beginning of it, which is how we know where we're going in Wellington, but apparently it has a few different codes within it, so it's going to take longer than anticipated to figure the whole thing out. Another contact is supposed to meet us at the airfield, but we don't know who or why."

"And after that?" I pressed. Irina picked up for Jack.

"We don't know what happens next. It depends on what Sark finds, and what our contact tells us. All we really know for now is that we'll be there for at least half an hour."

"Why's that?" Jack shrugged in response.

"It's the rules."

"From the packet?" I questioned dryly. Jack nodded.

"Of course," I muttered as I stood up.

"Where are you going?" Jack questioned.

"Find some food… or something," I replied vaguely. He nodded again, and I stepped out of the office. As the door shut behind me, I glanced down the hall, wondering where, exactly, Sark was doing his work. Glancing at my watch, I saw that we still had 27 minutes until we reached Wellington. That didn't give me enough time to attempt to locate Sark, so I dropped that idea. However, I still wasn't hungry so food wasn't at all appealing to me. Noticing a small stack of books, I headed for it and searched for something to read. I came up with a book of poetry, which I sat down and began flipping through. I'd just gotten through the Sylvia Plath section when Jack and Irina appeared.

"Five minutes," Jack said as they walked past me. I took that to mean that was how much time we had before landing, so I returned the book to its prior location and got myself settled in. Ten minutes later, we were on solid ground again.

"Where is he?" I questioned anxiously.

"Calm down, Michael. We are, after all, six minutes early," Jack said.

"Well in that case, he should be early too." Jack gave me a scathing look before turning to survey our surroundings.

Irina spotted it well before either of us; a slight, dark figure approaching fast, but obviously trying to stay concealed as much as possible.

"That's gotta be him, our contact," I said certainly.

"Most likely. Remember, Maivia may have implied that we'll be surprised by whatever we learn here today, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's nothing of real value." A moment later, our contact finally came into clear view, and I could see that 'he' wasn't a he after all. She observed us guardedly as she approached, giving us a long, appraising look before she spoke.

"You're the ones looking for Bristow?" she questioned in an accent so heavy, it was hard to distinguish.

"Yes, we are," Irina replied.

"Good… I'm Lucy. I have some information for you, and without it, I doubt you'll be able to-" she paused suddenly, interrupted by the sound of a single gunshot. Everyone looked around frantically, but no source could be determined, and no further shots were heard. Then, before any of us could even move, Lucy collapsed to the ground. Jack was at her side instantly, rolling her over to reveal a large, and still spreading, bloodstain on her lower back. A second later, he looked up at Irina and myself.

"She won't make it," he said quietly.

"We need that information," Irina urged.

"Let's get her on the plane, we can try to get her info then," I suggested. Jack nodded; he and I began to pick her up when another shot was fired, followed by two more. All three of us ran for the plane, taking cover inside.

"What do we do?" I asked. Irina slipping past us and heading for her office barely registered with me, so intent was I on locating the shooter.

"We have to find some way to get Lucy on the plane so we can either ask her what she was going to tell us, or search her body for any clues." I cringed slightly, but nodded my understanding. Irina reappeared then, sniper rifle in hand.

"Where are the shots coming from?" she asked.

"They had to be from that direction to hit Lucy in the back," Jack replied.

"That's very… general. Don't suppose you can narrow it down at all?" she questioned.

"I can," I muttered, before rushing off the plane and back to where Lucy lay dying.

"Michael!" Jack barked. As soon as I reached Lucy's side, another shot was squeezed off. I became certain they weren't trying to kill any of us; it hit the dirt not four inches from my foot, and I knew they could very easily have killed me. I reached out and searched for a pulse. I found nothing.

"She's dead," I called to Jack and Irina.

"You will be too in a minute, if you don't get back up here!" Jack shouted.

"No I wont," I replied. Another shot was fired, this one hitting Lucy's throat right next to my fingers. I jumped back as blood flew out. I heard yet another shot, and looked around to find where it had hit, only to see Irina lowering her own rifle.

"Now, let's see what we can find," she said matter-of-factly.

"Think it was a set up?" I asked as we began searching for anything of interest.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "It obviously was, to some extent. The shooter had to know where we'd be in order to get into position. But as for whether or not Lucy was in on it, and was just the sacrificial lamb, I couldn't say."

Jack and I continued searching through Lucy's pockets, in search of something we weren't even sure of. Irina, in the meantime, had made her way over to where the shooter had fallen. I watched as she rolled the body over, and then looked towards us. Catching my eye, she nodded slightly.

"I think you might want to see this."

On to the reviewage… thanks to all of you who just keep coming back, to those of you who are just joining the fun, and especially to those who have a bit too much fun with that review button- you loons never fail to crack me up. ;) You're all absolutely awesome, and I appreciate it so much.

There's one thing I think I need to address now though, as it's been brought up before, and I'm sure it will be asked again: when is this thing going to end? {sorry rin, I know this concept is foreign to you…} Honestly, the answer to this is: I just don't have a clue. I'd originally envisioned _maybe_ 10 chapters and done. Since then, it's taken on a life of its own, and no matter how many times I _think_ it's getting there, something new invariably comes up. Believe me, I'm as surprised as anyone else at how long this has gotten- I'll post some of the fun and exciting stats below- but there's still a lot to be done before it can end. I realize it's getting insane, and I'll be anti-surprised if I lose some readers due to this, but that's just how it is. **Thank you** to whoever sticks with me here.

And now for the fun and exciting stats I promised. This is all in Word, size 13 font.

Pages: 89

Words: 34,936

Paragraphs: 1010


	35. Ch 35

_Jack and I continued searching through Lucy's pockets, in search of something we weren't even sure of. Irina, in the meantime, had made her way over to where the shooter had fallen. I watched as she rolled the body over, and then looked towards us. Catching my eye, she nodded slightly._

_"I think you might want to see this."_

Jack and I exchanged glances before we both stood up and hurried over to her side. My breath caught in my throat as I realized the identity of the shooter.

"Somehow, I'm not entirely surprised," Jack said wryly. Shaking his head, he walked back over to Lucy's body. I glanced up at Irina.

"What the hell does she have to do with this?"

"I don't know everything, Mr. Vaughn," Irina responded smoothly, though her eyes betrayed her own uncertainty.

"I never said you did," I replied crossly. "I'd think you would realize I wasn't asking you directly. I'm just a bit curious as to why Anna Espinosa was sitting in these trees shooting at us." Irina glared at me, obviously not appreciative of my sarcasm.

"I don't know why she was here, nor why she was shooting at us. And, since she's now rather dead, I don't think she'll be answering any of our questions anytime soon either." Sparing one last look at Anna's body, Irina stretched to her full height and walked over to join Jack. I didn't move, instead standing there and trying to figure out just how it was all connected. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling more baffled with each passing second.

Suit and Glasses acting as our contact in Greece… Anna Espinosa killing our contact in New Zealand… it had to be something more than mere coincidence… didn't it? My head was already beginning to throb, and I hadn't even started on the difficult things yet.

"Michael!" I turned my attention to Jack, who I found to be watching me intently.

"Did you find something?" I asked.

"She was carrying a disk. Irina is checking it out now." I nodded, then glanced at the two bodies.

"What… what do we do with them?" Jack looked at them for a long, silent moment, and then faced me.

"Leave them," he said simply.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow at my outburst.

"You heard me Michael. We leave them."

"We're just supposed to leave two bullet-riddled bodies on the outskirts of one of the largest cities in New Zealand?"

"What alternative course would you suggest, Michael? Store them in a cooler on the plane, perhaps?" My shoulders slumped in defeat.

"This is insane," I grumbled as I walked past him and onto the plane.

"Tell me about it," I heard him sigh.

"Any news from Sark about that damn code?" I questioned as led the way towards Irina's office.

"Nothing as of yet," Jack responded.

"Figures."

"Be patient, Michael, I'm sure he'll turn up something fairly soon." I chose not to reply as I pushed open the door to Irina's office. She looked up, appearing to be annoyed, as we entered.

"Well?" Jack questioned.

"Disk read error," Irina read, indicating the screen. I threw my hands up in frustration.

"This whole stupid side trip has gotten us nothing but a pair of dead bodies, a useless disk, and a code that we apparently can't crack!"

"It may seem like a waste of time, but there must be a reason behind it. We cannot forgo all of the stops we were told to make… Sydney's life may well depend on it." Irina stared at me for a long moment, until finally, I nodded.

"I know, I know… it just all seems like it's a set up, or something. I mean, how could Anna have known exactly where we'd be? It just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe things will be cleared up once Sark finishes decoding that file," Jack offered.

"We seem to be hinging everything on what the file says. But what if it's nothing of importance? We're letting it all ride on that, and who's to say it's not just a recipe for some really good cheesecake?" I argued. Jack looked amused.

"While I highly doubt that to be the case, you do bring up a valid point. We really don't know what's contained within the 'packet,' but we have every reason to believe it to be directions for how and where to proceed after this."

"Straight into the sights of another sniper rifle," I grumbled.

"When did you become so pessimistic?" Jack questioned.

"When did _you_ become so optimistic?" I fired back. Before he could reply, we were interrupted by a brief knock, and the door easing open. Sark stepped into the room and held up a few sheets of paper.

"I've finished decoding it. I think you'll find this… rather useful."

Many many many thanks to those of you who are still with me here! And also to those of you who are just returning. ;-)


	36. Ch 36

Look, I'm back! This update is a bit different from the norm around here, but I hope it still works ok with the fic… thank you soooo much to everyone who keeps reading, you are all amazing! And happy birthday to rinny! 

"Ok, wait. Stop." Michael gives me a confused look as I abruptly cut him off. 

          "What's wrong?" Will asks, taking my hand. I give him a short, grateful look before turning back to face Michael.

          "Look, I can see this is a horrible place to interrupt, with you just finding out what was in that file Sark decoded… but I have to." Michael frowns and leans back in his chair.

          "Ok… why?"

          "I just need a few minutes… I need to think, to sort stuff out. It's not that I don't believe you- please, don't think that. I do, I believe everything you've told me. I just… it's all a whole lot to take in at once. I need to…" I falter, searching for the word.

          "Compartmentalize," Vaughn offers.

          "Yeah… yeah, that sounds about right." He nods.

          "Well, I've had six years to get used to everything… I have quite the head start on you. Go ahead, take some time… but not too much, please. I'd like to get this taken care of as soon as we can," he says quietly. With that, he stands up and walks out, leaving Will and myself facing one another.

          "Still mad?" He asks quietly. I recall how I had treated him when he called half an hour ago, and I look down at my hands.

          "No…" I begin softly. "I just… overreacted. I know you couldn't tell me the truth about Syd… and logically, I know there's no reason to be mad. But it just hurts that for all these years, you knew the truth about what she did, and why she was missing, and I just continued naively  thinking she was just a banker who pulled an Amelia Earhart and disappeared on a flight one day or something." He nods slowly.

          "Believe me, I understand that. And I hope you realize that I wanted nothing more than to tell you everything… if I could have, you know I would've. But it wasn't safe. Even with Syd gone, SD-6 was still a threat, and there was a very real chance that they continued monitoring the house, keeping an eye on my every action after what had happened. Telling you would have endangered us both, as well as Jack, Vaughn, numerous other agents…" I wave my hand, bringing him to a halt.

          "Will, I realize all that… believe me, I do. But hon, there is a vast difference between knowing something logically, and understanding it emotionally. The fact that for all these years, I've been the idiot kept in the dark… I can't just make that stop hurting."

          "Fran, you're not the idiot… I am. I was the one who just wouldn't leave well enough alone."

          "How much did you really know, Will?"

          "What do you mean?"

          "Well, you knew about… CIA and SD-6 and all that, and that she disappeared on a mission… you know about her parents and Vaughn and Sark… but of what he's told me, us- how much of that did you know?" He stops for a moment, thinking back.

          "Obviously, the points of the story I've been involved with, I knew… but the last time I talked to him was shortly before they left for the Maldives, so anything after that, I didn't know about until now."

          "Were you ever…actively involved in the search for Syd?"

          "Letting Vaughn stay at my apartment was as close to being involved as I got," he replies wryly. I can't help but laugh. "I'm gonna go grab a drink… want something?" he questions.

          "Um… sure."

          "Think you could maybe narrow it down?"

          "I should hope you'd know me well enough by now to know what drinks I like." He grins.

          "True… I'll be back in a few." I lean back in my chair as he exits, truly alone for the first time that day. After a moment of silent contemplation, I stand up and walk over to a small bookshelf. At the top of it is a frame, holding a picture of Syd, Will, and me. It was taken only two weeks before she disappeared, and it was the last time we were all together for more than half an hour.

          We'd spent that day at the beach, and I remember Syd mercilessly picking on Will for his very obvious tan lines. It had culminated with the two of us burying him deep in the sand and leaving him there for twenty minutes while we went to get slushees. He swore he'd never forgive us, but by the time we got home, he was laughing about it just as much as we were.

          I can't fight the tears that slowly rise at the memory, nor the ones that cascade out as I remember the day I received the news that Sydney Bristow had disappeared and was presumed dead.

          It was just another normal day at the restaurant when I heard the private line in my office ringing. I quickly ran through the kitchen, dodging chefs and waiters, and grabbed it just in time.

          "Hello?" I gasped breathlessly.

          "Miss Calfo?" I frowned, recognizing the voice.

          "Mr. Bristow? Syd's not here, and I-"

          "I'm awre of that, Miss Calfo. That's actually… why I'm calling."

          "I don't get it…" I replied hesitantly. He was quiet for a moment, and that only fueled my fear. "Jack, what's going on?" I demanded, growing hysterical.

          "Miss Calfo, calm yourself," he said sharply.

          "Why? So you can tell me something that'll send me right back over the edge?" I shot back. I instantly regretted it as I imagined the look that would be on his face. "Why'd you call?" I finally demanded, as he hadn't said another word. 

          "Uh…" My guard was instantly up again; Jack Bristow was not a stuttering man.

          "What the hell is going on? Tell me, damn it!"

          "Sydney's missing."

          "What?" I didn't think I'd heard him correctly; this was Syd we were talking about. Sydney Bristow… nothing could touch her.

          "She was on a trip to Canada… we haven't heard from her since she reached the airport."

          "This isn't possible…" I protested weakly.

          "I'm… afraid it is, Miss Calfo. She's been missing for 22 hours now. It's… she's been presumed dead." I dropped the phone and collapsed into my chair as I felt the pieces of my world shattering around me.

          The memory tears at my heart, and I once again collapse into my chair, my head falling into my hands as the tears flow in torrents. After a few moments, I felt a warm, comforting hand on my back as someone slowly sat down next to me. I wiped away my tears, looking up into Michael's sad eyes. He says nothing, merely nods, and I lower my head onto his shoulder and allow the tears to continue.

**Jen:** Favorite fic? Wow, that's a pretty tall order to live up to…

**Jax:** Yes, cheesecake and updates… fun combo, isn't it? :-D

**Delordra:** Thank you very much, and here's more for you! J

**Raina:** LOL… nope, not cheesecake.

**Coffee Crazy:** All of it at once?? Wow… I'm amazed. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**Jade:** Well, I wasn't exactly dead… hehe. Again, you and your need for shippiness… ;-)

**Kaley:** No resolution just yet, though I'm hoping to wrap this up by December 5th- the one year anniversary of starting the fic- but I'm not so sure it'll happen…

If any confusion was caused by this update, just know that it'll all be explained in time. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this insanity!


	37. Ch 37

Chapter 37   

"What's on your mind?" I quietly ask Francie when her tears finally subside. She lifts her head from my shoulder and looks to a bookshelf across the room, upon which I immediately see the photo of herself and her two friends.

            "I was just… remembering the day Jack called and told me Syd was missing…" She quickly relates the tale, leaving me a bit confused.

            "Jack said she was presumed dead… after just 22 hours?" Francie nods, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her neck.

            "At the time, that was just… it was a minor detail, it didn't register at all. But I've thought about that phone call… well, a lot since that day, and I always did think that was a bit odd." I nod, chalking it up to the fact that Jack was stressed- emotionally, physically, and mentally.  Besides which, in our line of work, 22 hours truly is a long time to be missing. "We can keep going whenever Will gets back," Francie adds. I nod again, absently, as I stand and make my way over to the picture on the shelf. I pick it up, studying it… memorizing it… and wishing, not for the first time- nor for the last- that I could have been involved in that aspect of Sydney's life. 

            Will reenters the room then, carrying two bottles of raspberry iced tea. He hesitates briefly as he catches sight of the picture I'm holding. As he sits back down next to Francie, his eyes remain trained on the image in my hands, and a small smile crosses his face. The look of fond remembrance doesn't touch his eyes, though; it can't block the pained memories of the past. As I look from the picture to the couple in front of me now, something suddenly becomes all too obvious.

            They moved on, for the most part. Their lives were changed by knowing her, and by losing her, but they managed to continue on with a life after Syd, going through the normal stages of grief and then moving on to a normal life. That was something I could never do.

            I hastily put the picture back down and move to take my seat again. As I do so, the wall clock catches my eye. 

"It's already after 6:00?" I say in amazement. Francie glances behind her in astonishment, double-checking her wristwatch to be sure.

"Wow… Michael, we've been here over 4 hours now. Um… do you want to hold off on more until tomorrow, or-" I cut her off with a wave of my hand.

"If you're both up to it still, I'd prefer not to put this off at all."

"I'll stay all night if I have to, if that's what it takes to find out what happened," Will states assertively. Francie nods mutely. After taking a moment to look both of them over, I decide they truly are in it for the long haul, and so I prepare to pick up where we left off. Before I can do so, Francie speaks up rather timidly.

"Um… sorry to interrupt yet again, and this time before you even get started, but…" she glances to the side, faltering. Will looks to me, then turns a concerned gaze on her.

"Fran?" he prods gently.

"Whatever it is, Francie, you can say it," I add. She nods.

"I know…I was just wondering… well, I have another copy of that picture, if you'd like to have it." My eyes dart to the frame on the bookcase, and then slowly trail back to Francie.

"I would love that. Thank you," I reply gratefully. "Everyone ready to keep going?" I question. They both nod, and I sit back, getting more comfortable. "All right. So, we-" before I can continue, I'm interrupted by Francie's desk phone ringing. She glares at it for a moment, looking appalled. The scene is almost comical.

"You might want to answer that," Will suggests.

"Oh, right…" she quickly grabs it, answering angrily. "Do you remember what I told you? Good, and is this a life-threatening emergency? No? Ok." With that, she hangs up and looks back to me with a pleasant. "Shall we?"

"Of course." I pause for a moment, then look at them quizzically. "Uh… where were we?"

"Wellington, New Zealand. Plane… Sark, packet…" Will trails off as I nod, remembering.

"That's right… that stupid packet. Well, I'll tell you this- the info it contained? It turned out to be… not quite what we had anticipated…"

Mwuaha. And yes, I am indeed leaving it right there. Why? 'Cause I'm evil, and because I don't want to get into another flashback sequence in this chapter. And yes, I realize that's a lot shorter than the standard GabsChapter, but deal with it, and I'll make it up to you… I promise. ;-)

And, in case it's not brutally obvious, this thing is not, in fact, going to be wrapped up by the one year anniversary {5 Dec} but hey- maybe it's time for a Man party of sorts…

**Jade:** The great unknown? Heh… that sounds kinda cool… LOL. So, you want shipperness? Well geez, why didn't you tell me before?? :-p I'll see what I can do…

**Jen:** Wow… thank you, yet again. I never cease to be amazed that people still like this thing…

**Kaley and landi:** Here's more for ya! And there will be even more soon… very soon… thanks for the reviews!


	38. Ch 38

Chapter 38 

_"I've finished decoding it. I think you'll find this… rather useful."_

Sark made his grand entrance with those words, holding in his hand what was obviously the decoded information from the mysterious packet.

"What's in it?" I questioned anxiously. Sark shut the door behind him and took a seat before launching into his explanation.

"The code, when printed out, tallied four pages total. When I got to work deciphering, however, it turned out the majority of the letters were nulls- that is, ciphers that were put in place for the sole purpose of mangling the true meaning of the code. With my third run through, I managed to discard all of the nulls, and the four page message was cut down to seven words." He held up the pages mentioned, and we could see various markings made by him. He then held the papers out to Irina, who looked them over quickly.

_"Proceed to Germany. Your contact is waiting."_

"That's all it says?" I asked. She nodded briefly, handing the pages off to Jack. He studied them longer, seemingly double-checking Sark's work, before passing them to me. Sure enough, those were the only words that made any sense.

"It all looks in order to me," Jack noted in response to my as yet unvoiced question. I gave him a brief nod before returning the papers to Sark.

"Ok, so what happened to the original plan? In the Maldives, Maivia told us to go from there, to New Zealand, then Alaska, then Germany. Why remove the Alaskan leg altogether?" I wondered, not truly expecting an answer.

"Perhaps that was yet another null… just tossed in there, no real value, simply to throw us off," Sark suggested.

"It's entirely possible," Irina agreed.

"I'll tell the pilot to prepare for takeoff," Jack said, excusing himself from the room.

"We know we're going to Munich, but when we get there, how do we know where, exactly, we're supposed to land?" I asked.

"Same way as we knew where to land in Wellington- someone will make contact with my pilot, and he'll relay the message on to me," Irina replied. I nodded, having missed that part of the New Zealand trip. Jack returned moments later, and we filled Sark in on what had taken place while he was deciphering the code.

"Anna Espinosa was here?" he repeated. I nodded in response, and he stood up and walked out. Looking concerned, Irina followed him. For lack of anything better, Jack and I both followed her. We found him looking out a window, to the area in which Anna had been shot down by Irina.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one sensing some kind of connection here," he said dryly.

"No. Definitely not," Jack replied. We all took our seats as the pilot announced takeoff; a short time later, we returned to Irina's private office, still with no clue what the connection was, or what it all meant.

"We've got a long flight ahead of us, and no idea what to expect once we reach Munich. Everyone needs to get some rest while you still can," Jack stated in a tone that brooked no argument. I suddenly realized how exhausted I felt, and with a nod to my companions, I exited Irina's office and went to a more comfortable, isolated seat. For a short time- perhaps a minute, perhaps an hour- I stared out the window, watching the clouds pass by against the bright New Zealand sky. I finally fell asleep, until I became aware of someone seated near me. I opened my eyes and saw Jack staring out the window intently. He quickly noticed that I was awake, and turned to face me.

"We've left New Zealand airspace," he noted.

"How long was I asleep?" I yawned.

"No more than an hour," he replied.

"Did you need something?" 

"No… I just needed to be away from Sark and Irina for a while." I nod and turn to look out the window again. We were over some random land mass, that was all I could tell. The sun was just beginning to set, and I stared out at it pensively. I was getting tired of planes. My thoughts veered from Sydney to Sark to Irina and back to Sydney again. Soon I chose to watch the faded world outside of the window rather than allow my fears to overtake me.

A light pink glow reverberated over the sky, illuminating the clouds and seeming to wash the encroaching night with a warmth that didn't spread to any of the planes inhabitants, especially me. Despite that, it was a truly spectacular sight. I could see the lights of a city far below, beneath the sparse cloud cover. Also visible was a long, winding system of lakes and rivers, stretching endlessly across the vast horizon. Jack's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Michael, are you doing all right?" I retract my gaze from the window and glare at him briefly.

"Just dandy." With that, I stand up and go in search of something to drink, feeling his eyes on my back all the while. When I return to my seat moments later, Jack had disappeared, as had the gorgeous window view. I sighed, feeling alone despite the fact that I had been the one to drive Jack away. That changed a moment later as Sark appeared, sitting near me, but not entirely close. He didn't speak, nor even look at me, merely sat there and stared at nothing in particular. Eventually, the sky outside darkened to the point where it was impossible to see anything. I made myself as comfortable as possible and allowed my eyes to drift shut, slowly slipping back into a world as dark as that on the outside of the plane, but a world in which Sydney was still within my reach. I heard Sark finally begin to speak, but whatever he may have said was quickly blocked by Sydney's voice. I was already drowning in her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Again, I know it's really short, but I wanted to get this up now in honor of the one year anniversary of this fic, December 5th. After this, updates will return to their normal length, I promise!

**Kaley and Jen:** Thank you both for reviewing, I really appreciate you sticking with me here!


	39. Ch 39

__

I made myself as comfortable as possible and allowed my eyes to drift shut, slowly slipping back into a world as dark as that on the outside of the plane, but a world in which Sydney was still within my reach. I heard Sark finally begin to speak, but whatever he may have said was quickly blocked by Sydney's voice. I was already drowning in her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

------------

****

Chapter 39

When I awoke sometime later, I was once again alone. I stood slowly and stretched, my back protesting against all of the airplane sleeping. I made my way to Irina's office, but found only Jack in there.

"Where are we?" I questioned tiredly.

"Austrian airspace. We should be arriving in Munich within the next 45 minutes." With a nod, I yawned and sat down on the couch, watching Jack intently staring at the computer screen, which I could see but not quit read.

"Where are Irina and Sark?" I asked. It seemed to take a while to register, but eventually Jack looked over at me.

"I don't know," he said briefly before turning back to the computer.

"Can I ask what has you so strictly focused?" he barely glanced at me before replying.

"You can ask, but that doesn't mean I'll answer." I almost laughed; I should have expected that. So I leaned back, got comfortable, and resigned myself to a long wait before I got any answers from anyone. The next 15 minutes passed in companionable silence before the door being shoved open roughly drew the attention of both Jack and myself. Irina entered briskly, not even sparing me a sideways glance as she commandeered her computer, causing Jack to scoot to the side. She stood there, typing busily for a few minutes, before swiftly clicking the mouse and leaving much the same as she'd entered. Jack and I exchanged curious looks as the door slammed shut in her wake.

"Any idea?" I questioned.

"Not a clue."

"Right." A short time later, the door opened once more, this time admitting Sark into the room much more calmly than Irina. He gazed at each of us in turn before focusing his eyes on me.

"Irina has asked that I inform you both that we'll be making our landing in approximately seven minutes." I acknowledged him with a nod, but Jack, who hadn't taken his eyes off the computer for even a second when Sark entered the room, continued to ignore him. With a glare at Jack, Sark turned and left, slamming the door much as Irina had. I rubbed the back of my neck and turned to look at Jack, who was still intently focused on the computer.

"Ok. Did I miss something here?" I asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he replied smoothly.

"Funny, Jack. Real funny." He said nothing, and I shook my head in consternation. "Seriously Jack. What's going on?" He finally turned and looked at me, giving me his full attention.

"Michael, I'm being completely honest with you. I don't know any more about their combined attitude than you do. Irina will tell us when and if she feels the time is right." I sighed.

"So basically, never."

"Quite likely."

"Great." He gave me a sympathetic nod before looking back to the computer. I watched him for a few moments until he seemed satisfied and began to shut the machine down. "I bet you've just been playing Solitaire for the past hour," I mumbled. He peered at me over his shoulder.

"How'd you guess?"

"Did Jack Bristow just crack a joke?"

"Tell anyone and you're a dead man."

"That's more like it." He smirked and motioned towards the door.

"Come on. Should be landing any minute now." I stood up and followed him out, and as we joined our allies, he grabbed Irina's hand and lead her off to the side. They spoke in imperceptible whispers for a few minutes before Irina moved off and sat with Sark. I watched Jack curiously; he gave me a sharp look before seating himself next to Irina. I turned to watch the view outside, knowing- or at least, hoping- that meant he would tell me later.

"So what's the plan?" I asked as we drew closer to the runway.

"Once we get off the plane, we leave via the nearest exit; a contact, one apparently well known to all of us, will be waiting nearby." Irina's answer was short, and even I could tell that something about the plan was not to her liking.

"We don't know who this contact is, nor if they are friend or foe to us. We were given no fail-proof way to identify the person, just that one hint- each of us is familiar with him. Or her," Sark elaborated slightly on what Irina had told us.

"Do we have time to come up with some kind of list? Try to narrow down the possibilities?" I asked.

"If we'd received the information more than ten minutes ago, we might have been able to," Irina said angrily.

"As it stands, we're touching down right now; if we're to follow the instructions Irina was given, there's no way we'll have the time to even begin scratching the surface of a list of any kind," Jack stated. He gave me a knowing look as I sighed and rubbed my forehead, feeling frustrated.

Ten minutes later, we were making our way through the terminal and outside, in search of a potential contact. The fairly large throngs of people milling about made our task near impossible, and we were all quickly beginning to lose hold of any patience we had left.

"Split up," Irina ordered brusquely. "We may have a better chance of finding this person quickly if we aren't all searching the same places." She and Sark melted into the masses, and Jack led me in the opposite direction.

"This is hopeless," I gritted out, feeling the sudden urge to rip out handfuls of my own hair.

"I imagine you've figured this out on your own, but when Irina barged into her office like that, it was indeed to check some facts regarding the information that had just come in." I nodded.

"Yeah, that was my guess." We continued searching in silence. A short time later, I spotted a familiar face leaning against the wall, looking around casually. I stopped dead and grabbed Jack's arm.

"Jack. Look." I pointed, and Jack shifted his gaze. He frowned, looking puzzled.

"He must be the one. We need to find Sark and Irina."

"You get them. I'll go let him know we're here." Jack nodded and made his way back to where we'd last seen Sark and Irina, while I approached the man we hoped was our contact. He smiled as he spotted me, and reached out to shake my head. I accepted, somewhat reluctantly.

"Agent Vaughn, good to see you. Where are the others? They're here, right?"

"Yeah, they are. But, I don't understand… what are you doing here, Dixon?" 

"I'm… well, I'm honestly not completely sure. But I'll wait until Jack, Irina, and Sark are here too, and I'll tell all three of you what I know." I nodded and moved to take a seat on the edge of a flowerbed as we waited.

They emerged from the crowd moments later, making a direct line towards us. Sark and Irina looked just as puzzled as Jack had when he first caught sight of Dixon.

"What's going on?" Sark asked wearily. Jack and Dixon shared a warm handshake before Dixon turned to face all of us. Before he could begin speaking, Irina held up a hand.

"Wait. As much as we're all quite curious to know how you're connected to all of this, I wouldn't classify this as a safe place to talk. We need to go somewhere more private."

"I have a hotel room not far away," Dixon offered.

"Paid for by whom? SD-6?" Irina questioned, and he nodded. "No. That won't do. We need something we can be sure is safe."

"I have a friend and contact in the area… as well as a key to his private office," Jack mentioned, holding up said key.

"How far from here?" I inquired. He turned and slowly surveyed the surrounding structures before indicating one down the street, no entirely too far from us.

"The Bavarian State Archives?" Dixon asked.

"Yes, he works there. On such short notice, this is as good as we're going to get." Irina nodded her agreement.

"Lead the way Jack." We hurried down the street, attempting to move quickly but also keep a low profile. Less than half an hour later, Jack had managed to get all of us into his friend's office without being spotted by anyone, so far as we knew.

As we got settled in, Jack and Irina went through and checked for bugs as best they could, closing windows and curtains in the process. Finally seeming satisfied, Irina sat down while Jack fixed his gaze on Dixon. The friendly exterior of earlier had long since vanished, replaced by a cool detachment and a heavy warning in his eyes.

"So, Marcus… you've got a lot of explaining to do. I might suggest you start talking- right now."


	40. Ch 40

__

"So, Marcus… you've got a lot of explaining to do. I might suggest you start talking- right now."

-------

**Chapter 40**

"An SD-6 mission," Dixon began. "I was scheduled to go- alone- to Innsbruck, Austria, where I was supposed to meet someone and exchange information. Halfway there, I was informed that my plane was being rerouted, and not long after that, a message was passed along to me. I didn't know who it was from, and in fact I still don't, but it was simple and quite clear." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, promptly passing it to Jack, who scanned it briefly before reading it aloud.

"_Munich; connect with four associates re: S. Bristow._"

"That's all you got?" I questioned. Dixon nodded and was about to speak again when Sark cut him off.

"And you chose to take it at face value?" he asked suspiciously.

"Under normal conditions, I certainly wouldn't have. However, with the name 'S. Bristow' attached, how could I possibly do anything else?"

"Thank you," Irina said quietly. Dixon looked surprised, but gave her a brief nod before continuing.

"When I got off the plane, I assumed I must be looking for you, but I had no idea when I'd see you, or where you'd be. I decided waiting at the airport was the best idea, so I picked the most noticeable place I could find and stayed there- for three hours, I might add- looking for you. After the first hour, someone bumped into me quite blatantly, and as I checked to be sure nothing was missing, I found this." He then produced, from the same pocket he'd pulled the paper from, a small silver object, which took me a moment to identify as a cell phone. Jack raised a dubious eyebrow, but motioned for him to continue.

"I inspected it of course, looked through everything on it, but I still don't know what it's for." He handed it over to Jack, who glanced at it before pocketing it.

"You're not going to search it?" Sark asked.

"I trust Marcus," was Jack's only reply. Sark frowned, but said no more.

"Was there anything else?" I directed my question to Dixon.

"No. After that it was just more waiting until you finally showed up." He glanced to Jack, who gave him a nod before speaking.

"We can only assume that someone intends to make contact with us, via this phone. I'll keep it with me until they choose to initiate, and we'll play it from there. Until then, make yourselves comfortable. Down that hallway you'll find a restroom as well as a refrigerator. Don't go into any of the other rooms." With those words, Jack seated himself at the desk and turned on the computer. Irina pulled up a chair next to him, and they began talking in hushed tones. Sark slipped out and headed down the hall Jack had indicated, while Dixon settled in next to me.

"How have you been?" I asked quickly, hoping to keep the conversation focused on him instead of me.

"I've been all right, but I admit, I was beginning to worry about you- all of you. Sark hasn't put in an appearance at SD-6 in quite some time, and I don't believe I've spoken to you or Jack since…" his voice trailed off and he looked vaguely uncertain.

"Since we lost Syd in Vilnius," I supplied quietly. He nodded, looking regretful.

"We've been… a bit on the busy side," I noted after a silent moment.

"I can only imagine," Dixon said sympathetically, his intense but friendly eyes drilling a hole into me. "Michael- do you mind if I call you that?" I shook my head.

"No, don't mind at all."

"Ok. Listen, I know we aren't very familiar with one another yet, and I know we're not in quite the same position where Sydney is concerned, but I want you to know that if I can ever do anything for you, anything at all, all you have to do is ask." I offered him a genuine smile.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." Just then the door slid open and Sark re-entered, a small glass of milk in hand. "I somehow didn't figure you for a milk drinker," I commented wryly. He gave me a sideways glance as he took a seat well away from the rest of us.

"But it does a body good," he replied in the same tone. I couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped at his comment. He merely smirked. Shortly thereafter, he seemed to realize he was sitting directly under the air conditioner; with a light, aggrieved sigh, he stood and relocated himself to my right. I glanced up to catch Jack's gaze focused on me. He held my eyes for a long moment before turning back to the computer. I checked to see if either Sark or Dixon had caught that; it appeared neither of them had, as Dixon had picked up some magazine and Sark looked to be falling asleep. I turned back to Jack, but he was concentrating strictly on the computer. After a brief hesitation, I cleared my throat and spoke up.

"Am I allowed to ask what it is you're doing on the computer?" he glanced towards me, as did Irina. Sark cracked one eye open, awaiting the response, and Dixon lowered his magazine.

"Playing Solitaire," Jack said dryly. Dixon, Irina, and Sark all looked at him in a mixture of confusion and astonishment while I tried to hold back a laugh. Jack allowed a flash of humor into his eyes before quickly wiping it away and turning serious again.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, we don't know much about what's going on here. As such, Irina and I are… taking some precautionary measures."

"Such as?" pressed Sark, who was now giving Jack and Irina his full attention.

"Such as anything we feel is necessary," Irina replied, a warning note in her voice.

"I just love being left in the dark," I grumbled.

"Much better than ever having a straight answer," Sark agreed, obviously annoyed.

"You are acting like _children!_" Irina snapped. I sat up straighter, while Sark's eyes darkened in anger. Obviously sensing the oncoming war of words, Dixon quickly jumped to his feet to play mediator.

"I'm going to get a drink, would anyone like anything? Or something to eat, perhaps?"

"No. Thank you," Irina said curtly. Jack shook his head before looking back to the computer, while Sark crossed his arms and turned away, closing his eyes again.

"Michael?"

"Nothing, thanks." Dixon nodded and opened the door, exiting quietly into the hallway. The room lapsed into a slightly tense silence with the exception of Jack typing and an occasional whispered word from either him or Irina. I eventually settled with staring up through the skylight, the only viewing port in the room that had been left uncovered. The small bit of cloud I could see through the small space seemed to change shape, but was still something unidentifiable. A moment later the silence was suddenly broken, and my concentration along with it.

"Jack!" Irina said harshly, causing him to glare at her.

"Just trust me," he returned briefly. After a tense moment, they each turned back to the computer and the silence came flooding back. I glanced over to see that Sark hadn't opened his eyes, but I could tell he was paying close attention.

With a light sigh, I sat back and continued staring through the skylight, ignoring Jack, who'd begun drumming his fingers- a nervous habit he'd picked up only recently. I soon felt myself nodding off; after a few weak attempts to blink it away, I allowed my eyes to close and my head to lean back further, giving in to the summons of sleep. Just as it was about to overtake me, I was startled back into awareness by the ringing of the phone that Dixon had given Jack.

I sat up to find Sark was already staring at him, fully alert. Jack ignored both of us, answering quickly and quietly. A moment later, his fingers stopped moving, and the rest of his body went still as well. For a brief second, it even appeared as though he had ceased breathing.

Then, with one smooth fluid motion, he rose from his seat and disappeared down the hallway, Irina at his side. Sark and I exchanged confused glances and quickly followed them. We tracked Jack to a different room, but as we opened the door, Irina barred our entrance. She ushered us back out to the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

"I don't know who it is, but it appears to be important. Jack will tell us when he can, and until then we need to leave him be," she whispered.

"Is it… is it about Syd?" I asked quietly and more than a little nervously.

"I honestly don't know the answer to that. I can safely assume that he told me no more than he told you."

"Meaning absolutely nothing," Sark put in. She nodded briefly. We remained standing there, waiting in silence; Dixon came upon us a moment later, looking confused.

"What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"The phone rang," I replied tensely. His eyes widened slightly, and the unopened bottle of water in his hands was forgotten as he stood with us, anxiously awaiting the news.

Jack slowly emerged a short time later, the phone clutched tightly in his right hand and an almost uncertain expression on his face. He looked at each of us in turn before taking a breath, but didn't begin to speak as I'd expected.

"Well?" I finally prodded.

"It was Sloane," he said simply. There was an anxious, tension filled silence until he ultimately continued. "He somehow knows the truth about Sydney and I being double agents- has known for a while, even before her disappearance. But more importantly, he believes he may have some information regarding her captors…" he paused briefly, seemingly debating whether or not he should finish the sentence. Finally, he did. "…and perhaps may even have knowledge of her present whereabouts."


	41. Ch 41

__

"It was Sloane," Jack said simply. There was an anxious, tension filled silence until he ultimately continued. "He somehow knows the truth about Sydney and I being double agents- has known for a while, even before her disappearance. But more importantly, he believes he may have some information regarding her captors…" he paused briefly, seemingly debating whether or not he should finish the sentence. Finally, he did. "…and perhaps may even have knowledge of her present whereabouts."

****

Chapter 41

A heavy silence permeated the room, no one daring to speak or seemingly even breathe. Finally, I took the first step.

"So what next? What does he want? What are we doing?"

"Are you sure we can trust him? How do you know he doesn't have some other purpose behind calling?" Sark threw.

"One at a time," Jack growled. He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I don't know… I don't know how he knows, nor what he wants, nor what ulterior motives he may have. All I know is that he has some information, and we need it. Therefore, we're going to do as he requested." He then turned to Dixon.

"Marcus, you've been tagged and tracked." Dixon's eyes widened, and he looked down in shock.

"What? Impossible! I've double and triple checked everything I'm wearing, everything I brought with me… there's nothing there." Jack nodded slowly.

"What did you eat before you left SD-6?" A look of realization dawned.

"I drank some coffee that Sloane offered me."

"How does that factor in?" Irina, who had been frighteningly silent, finally spoke up.

"He knows where we are, and he wants to meet us in half an hour."

"Why would they put a tracker on Dixon?" I questioned. "He was on an SD-6 mission, wasn't he?"

"That's right," Sark added. "Sloane wouldn't need to take such measures, he should know where Mr. Dixon would be anyway."

"The plane was rerouted," Irina supplied. Jack nodded to her.

"Correct. Arvin claims he didn't know that was going to happen; whatever he was sending Dixon to Austria for, it was something he truly wanted. And Sark is right, this isn't the kind of thing Sloane would normally do, which leads me to believe that whatever's in Austria, it's important. I don't know that it means anything to us, so unless we find out otherwise, I'm not concerned with what's there, nor with the tracker."

"Which brings us back to my first question: what next?" Jack faced me as I asked this.

"We wait. Again." I gave him a look. "I know, Michael. Believe me, I know. But right now, the ball is in his court, and it's up to him to decide whether or not he lets us play. He's in the air as we speak, on his way to Munich. I don't know when, precisely, he'll be here, but since he does know where Marcus is, he won't have a problem getting to us."

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" I questioned. Jack laughed dryly.

"Generally not."

"So what do we do until he gets here?" Sark asked.

"Whatever you wish to do to pass the time," Irina said. Jack headed for the room we had been in earlier, and I fell in step beside him.

"Time for more solitaire?" I asked jokingly. He gave me a small half-smile.

"Naturally."

"Tell me, Jack, do you ever lose? Ever?" He raised an eyebrow and I had to laugh. "Of course not."

As we re-entered the room, I looked back to see Dixon trailing not far behind us, looking thoughtful. Well behind him, Irina and Sark were engaged in deep conversation. After a moment, Sark's cold eyes met mine. He maintained eye contact for just a moment before turning back to give Irina his complete attention. I frowned in confusion and walked into the room, where Jack was already back on the computer. Dixon was standing near one of the closed windows, still looking to be lost in thought.

After a brief survey of the room, I shrugged off my jacket and headed for the opposite wall. I balled the jacket up and placed it on the floor before making myself as comfortable as possible, prepared to take a nap. I had just shut my eyes and felt myself drifting off when a voice penetrated my consciousness.

"That can't be terribly comfortable." I opened my eyes and rolled over, finding Sark seated not far from me.

"I like the floor," I grumbled, turning my back on him and once again shutting my eyes.

"I see. But yet I seem to recall, you're not much fond of sleeping," he noted curiously.

"Point?" I questioned.

"For one who doesn't care for the activity, you do seem to sleep quite a bit." Sitting up again, I sighed in annoyance.

"Not that it's really any of your business, but I find sleep to be good for getting away from the things I don't want to deal with. Therefore, when life sucks, I sleep a lot. Besides, there's not much better to do at the moment, now is there? So, if you'll excuse me…" I settled back down, almost smiling as I heard Sark get up and move a few seats away. I shook my head just slightly, feeling vaguely amused at this strange kind of friendship that seemed to be forming between us. I still didn't trust him, and I knew that feeling was mutual, but at the same time, we were in the same boat in terms of being left out of most everything Jack and Irina seemed to know. Shifting my shoulders, I got as comfortable as I could and soon felt myself slipping into the darkness of dreams. As usual, my subconscious focused itself on Sydney. That days dream wasn't the horror it usually was; rather, it was almost pleasant.

__

Sydney was standing on the porch, watching the sun set ahead of us. I was seated on the steps, eyes locked on her. She evidently felt it, as she soon looked to me and then flashed one of her shy smiles before dropping her eyes. I stood up and moved in front of her, causing her to look up at me.

"Syd…" before I could say anything else, the cell phone in her pocket rang. She looked at me apologetically. "Ignore it," I urged.

"I can't… it could be important." The phone rang again, and I sighed.

I sat straight up, realizing that the sound was actually that of a phone in the room. I rubbed my eyes quickly, looking towards Jack, who was studying the small cell phone in his hand intently.

"Sloane," he finally said, before flipping it open and answering. I took a brief glance around to see Irina, Sark, and Dixon all watching him as attentively as I was, then turned back to Jack to keep an ear on the one-sided conversation.

"When? That's fine, where? Yes, we're still here. Fine. We'll be here, we're not going anywhere. And Arvin? Do not waste our time here, or I promise you, you will live to regret it." Jack snapped the phone shut and looked up at us. "He's on his way."

"He's coming here?" I asked. Jack nodded.

"He'll be here within the next half hour."

"What's the plan from there?" Sark questioned.

"I don't know. It depends on what he knows, what he can tell us. We can't plan anything until we have some clear idea of what we have to work with."

"I assume we'll verify what we can to some extent before we do anything?" Sark pressed. Jack gave him a look.

"Of course we will."

"Unfortunately, at this point, Sloane is our best lead," Irina put in.

"Meaning we may have to take him at face value," I concluded. Jack nodded.

"I don't like it," Dixon stated flatly.

"None of us do," Jack pointed out. "But if it's the only way, then it's the only way." With a sigh, I stood up and walked over to the desk.

"So it's back to the waiting game," I noted.

"Isn't it always?" Sark muttered before turning and taking a seat again. Another heavy silence fell upon the room, until about ten minutes later, when a voice echoed in the hallway outside.

"Is it him?" Sark asked of no one in particular.

"I'm not psychic," Jack snapped.

"Pity," Sark shot back.

"Stop it. Now," Irina said warningly. Jack and Sark exchanged hostile looks, but no more words. Moments later, our collective suspicions were confirmed, as the door opened to reveal Arvin Sloane. He smiled at all of us warmly, causing a shiver to slide up my spine. I saw someone that I presumed to be a bodyguard standing near him. Sloane gave the big man a nod before stepping in and shutting the door.

"Good to see you all again," he said pleasantly, obviously ignoring the unfriendly looks being directed to him by everyone in the room.

"Drop the act, Sloane. What do you know?" Irina demanded harshly.

"Before I say anything, I'd just like to make sure we're all clear on this: I had nothing to do with Sydney's disappearance. Believe it or not, it upset me too. That's why I'm here; I've been doing my own investigations into this, and as soon as I found enough information to potentially be useful, I set out to contact you."

"Why should we believe you?" Sark demanded.

"For the same reason anyone should believe you: I'd have nothing to gain by lying."

"Aside from the deranged pleasure you seem to derive from hurting my family," Irina spat. Sloane smiled, looking at her almost tenderly.

"Ah, Irina… how I've missed you." She looked at him with disgust.

"For what it's worth," I interjected, "we need to at least hear him out. We've gotten nowhere in all this time; if he has something new, a different angle to work from, it's worth a try."

"Michael's right," Jack agreed, turning his eyes to Sloane. "And everyone here knows it." Sloane gave him a slight nod before glancing to me.

"Good to know at least some of you have clear heads here," he said with a pointed look at Irina and Sark. He then smirked slightly, facing us again. "Jack… and Mr. Vaughn. Two rogue CIA agents, working hand in hand with two internationally wanted terrorists…" he paused, turning his gaze towards Dixon. "And one highly respectable SD-6 agent." Dixon leveled him with a glare.

"Don't," he said warningly. "I will never believe another word you say. _Ever_." Sloane nodded, almost regretfully.

"I know, Marcus."

"Details, Arvin," Jack said tightly. Sloane sighed lightly and made his way to the computer chair, where he seated himself and got comfortable, leaning back and looking at all of us.

"As you know, Dixon was given a tracker before he left SD-6 for Austria." He turned to face Dixon, and continued talking. "You knew who you were going to meet, but you didn't know what type of information was going to be traded, correct?" Dixon nodded. "That man was an informant from a relatively unknown organization. They've been very minor players on the international stage the last five years, and have kept in shadows so well that not even the CIA has heard of them."

"Well who are they?" I asked curiously.

"No one has a name for them yet. The interesting twist here is that the man Marcus was going to meet in Austria? He's a man very familiar to the four of you," indicating everyone but Dixon, "one known to most as nothing more than Suit and Glasses." With this, Sloane leaned back in the chair, seemingly enjoying the stunned silence that had filled the room.

"He was our contact back in Greece," I noted, looking from Jack to Irina.

"And now he was to be Mr. Dixon's contact in Austria," Sark said thoughtfully. "He was involved with this mysterious group?" He glanced to Sloane, who nodded.

"They acquired his services late last year. I made contact with him perhaps four months ago and offered generous compensation for him to pass along intel to me."

"And?" Irina pressed.

"That was what Dixon's meeting was to be. He was going to give information regarding payment, and in return, he would receive everything that had been gathered over the last few months on this organization."

"So why was the plane rerouted?" I asked.

"Because it seems someone learned of our friends' intentions; an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin, an associate in Innsbruck received a special delivery." I winced at the words and Sloane, noticing my reaction, nodded slightly. "His body, minus the head."

"So 'Suit and Glasses' is dead?" Sark repeated, seemingly astonished.

"Yeah, that's generally a consequence of having your head removed," I said dryly. He glared at me briefly. "Admittedly, I'm not following the connection between him being our contact in Greece, and Dixon's meeting in Austria. He was already working for them when we met in Greece, right? Did they send him to us?"

"That seems most likely," Irina put in quietly.

"It's not your fault, Irina."

"He was my contact, Jack."

"He was the one who got in touch with us, remember?"

"Yes, and I didn't even think to question his motives. Because of that, we played right into whatever game they're playing."

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to move. Now," Sloane said.

"Where are we going?" Sark asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Out to a private airfield. A plane is waiting there to take us to Paris."

"Why Paris?" Sark demanded. Sloane stared at him intently.

"Like it or not, we follow my lead right now, Mr. Sark. For now, we move. When we're on the plane, I'll tell you more." Sark didn't take his eyes off Sloane, who merely shook his head. "I have two cars waiting outside. Sark, Dixon, and I will take one; Jack, Irina, and Vaughn will take the other. It's right outside of the city, should take us about twenty minutes to get there." He handed a set of keys over to Jack, and then stood and walked to the door. "Follow me." Sark and I exchanged uncomfortable glances before going out after Sloane. Jack hurriedly shut down the computer and turned off all the lights before locking the door and coming behind us. As we got to the cars, Sloane handed his keys over to Dixon.

"You'll drive." Dixon shot him an aggravated look before heading to the drivers seat. Sark shook his head and got into the back. Jack took the wheel of our car, while Irina was in the passenger seat and I sat in the back. I thought for a moment, wondering where Sloane's bodyguard had disappeared to. Then I saw him standing outside the building, hidden in shadows, keeping a cautious eye on everything around us. I briefly wondered why he was staying behind, but brushed the concern aside as Jack started the car.

"Are we trusting him so far?" I asked after a moment. There was a short silence before Jack answered.

"Thus far, yes. As much as we can ever trust him, at least."

"Which really doesn't say much," I sighed. Jack's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and he nodded. Ten minutes later, Dixon's car, just ahead of us, suddenly slammed on the brakes. I looked ahead curiously when they didn't begin to move again.

"We're not here, are we?" Irina shook her head.

"No. Why aren't they going anywhere?" She and Jack exchanged curious looks. The next moment, a sharp noise caught my attention.

"You heard that, right?" I whispered, unsure of why I was talking so quietly, but feeling the need to do so anyway. Jack nodded.

"Sounded like glass breaking?" he asked, in the same quiet tone.

"Yeah… what was that?" Jack looked at me over his shoulder, then abruptly shifted the car into park. I took the cue and opened my door, hopping out and moving over to Dixon's window.

"Jack!" I yelled, catching sight of the front of the car. He and Irina both ran to my side, and I pointed out the bullet holes in the windshield. They both began looking around nervously, before something occurred to Irina.

"Sark…" she quickly ran to the other side of the car and pulled open the back door, sticking her head in. Meanwhile, Jack opened the driver's side and checked on Dixon.

"Is he ok?" My question was met with silence. "Jack? Is Dixon ok? Jack, answer me!"

"Sark's ok," Irina said from the other side. "Just unconscious." She then moved up to check on Sloane.

"Jack," I repeated forcefully.

"Sloane's been hit, but he'll live… they must have been using silencers on sniper rifles. But…" he paused, pulling himself out of the car and looking straight at me. "I don't know that Dixon's going to make it."


	42. Ch 42

_K, there's been no update since late last December, and I apologize. For those that don't know, I've been in the Army the last 7 months… that can kinda keep you busy, ya know? I'm not gonna promise anything about future updates; I'd like to be more frequent, but I'm still all Army-hooah and such, so I really can't say for sure. To those who actually stick with me, thank you._

-----------

A refresher on Ch41, since it has been a while…

"_As you know, Dixon was given a tracker before he left SD-6 for Austria." Sloane turned to face Dixon, and continued talking. "You knew who you were going to meet, but you didn't know what type of information was going to be traded, correct?" Dixon nodded. "That man was an informant from a relatively unknown organization. They've been very minor players on the international stage the last five years, and have kept in shadows so well that not even the CIA has heard of them. That was what Dixon's meeting was to be. He was going to give information regarding payment, and in return, he would receive everything that had been gathered over the last few months on this organization. It seems someone learned of our friends' intentions; an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin, an associate in Innsbruck received a special delivery… his body, minus the head."_

_"Sloane's been hit, but he'll live… they must have been using silencers on sniper rifles. But…" Jack paused, pulling himself out of the car and looking straight at me. "I don't know that Dixon's going to make it."_

**Chapter 42**

Working together, we quickly got Sloane, Sark, and the more seriously injured Dixon out of their car and into ours. Jack took the wheel again and hit the gas, continuing straight towards where we hoped the airfield was.

"Any ideas?" I asked, keeping my hands firmly pressed to Dixon's bleeding chest.

"As to who did it? No. that everything is connected is quite obvious… figuring out how is the difficult part."

"We must find out something of this group Sloane mentioned… that will be the key," Irina stated with certainty.

"Up ahead," Jack suddenly interrupted. "I think that's our airfield."

"Let's hope so," I said quietly, looking down at Dixon. By the time we reached the field, Sark had regained some degree of consciousness. He was watching me, dazed, seemingly unaware of the blood that had spilled from his nose and was now smeared dry across his face. He said nothing, and I wondered if he had any idea of what had happened.

"There's a plane," Irina said.

"But is it ours?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from Sark.

"I'm going to go find out." Jack parked the car and stepped out, walking briskly up to the side of the small plane. He spoke to someone inside; after a moment, he walked back over to the car.

"That's us; let's go." He helped me get Dixon out of the car and onto the plane, while Irina assisted the groggy Sark. Once Dixon was settled, Jack and I went back for Sloane. The pilot looked at us in concern as we carried him on board.

"He'll be fine, just get us wherever we're going." With a nod, the pilot turned around and soon had us in the air.

"How are you feeling?" Irina asked Sark.

"Simply grand," he replied dryly.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Vaguely… I believe we were shot at?" At Irina's nod, he continued. "Dixon hit the brakes when the windshield cracked, and I was thrown into something." He gingerly touched his nose. "I blacked out… I don't know what else happened."

"Any idea where the shots were fired from?" I questioned. Sark shook his head slightly, and I turned to face Jack.

"What about Dixon?"

"The flight to Paris shouldn't be long; once we get there, we'll get him to a facility immediately."

"The Alliance has a hospital… he'll be safe there." The quiet words drew all eyes to Sloane.

"He'd be better off in a CIA hospital," Jack argued.

"Until he recovered," Sloane paused, looking at Dixon sorrowfully, "if indeed he does, at which point the CIA will wish to question him endlessly. It could take him out of the search for months, and we can't afford to be down one man. No one beyond me knows of his current status, his knowledge of the Alliance. At our facility, he'd be released as soon as he healed. Besides… correct me if I'm wrong, Jack, but I do believe you're not quite on the CIA's favorite people list these days. Nor you, Mr. Vaughn." I sighed, knowing he'd just won the battle. Jack and Irina shared a long look, once again communicating with their eyes, and eventually, Irina gave Sloane a nod.

"When we land, we'll get him to the Alliance facility. While there, you'll get your shoulder taken care of." Sloane was about to protest, but Irina cut him off. "This is our daughter, not yours. We still make the final decisions here." To my surprise, he offered no further argument.

"You said earlier that you'd tell us more once we got on the plane," I said curiously.

"Ah, yes. As I told you in Munich, my informant within this organization was murdered. What I didn't tell you is that someone else from the group made contact with me right after I received the news."

"About what?" I pushed.

"He claimed to have far more to offer, but for a much steeper price.

"So what'd you do?"

"Patience, Mr. Vaughn. Your interruptions aren't making this any quicker. At any rate, I accepted his terms. He's who we're meeting in Paris."

"At what time?" Irina asked. Sloane glanced down at his watch.

"25 minutes from now."

"You'll never make that," I said flatly.

"Not if I'm being made to go to the hospital, no. The plane should land in about five minutes; in theory, that leaves more than enough time to get there."

"You're going to the hospital. End of story," Jack stated. "We'll go to the meet, posing as… your agents." His words dripped with ill-concealed venom.

"It's not safe for you, Jack," Sloane pointed out.

"He's right." Jack leveled a glare at me, but I didn't back down.

"Vaughn and I will go," Irina said.

"I don't like it," Jack sighed as the plane began its descent.

"I don't care. You're too known, Jack… I can't lose you too."

"You and Sark can wait on the plane." Sloane turned his gaze to Dixon. "The pilot will drive us to the hospital and come right back here to wait." He then shifted his focus to Irina and myself. "The meeting as at a small sidewalk café, perhaps a ten minute walk from here. When a waiter comes up, ask- in English- if he speaks Dutch. That's the tipoff. From there, your contact will approach. Be sure you're on time- if you ask early, he may not be here yet, and we'll have lost him." I looked at my watch; 17 minutes until time. I tuned out as Sloane gave Irina directions, concentrating instead on the task at hand. In truth, I felt uncomfortable playing an SD-6 agent to some unknown group. What if I didn't pull it off? This could be our best chance yet; I couldn't blow it. A moment later I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up.

"Don't be nervous," Jack said softly. I had to smile, forced though it was.

Not long after, we had landed on the outskirts of Paris, and Irina and I were on our way to the café.

"What's on your mind, Vaughn?" Irina asked suddenly. I frowned.

"What gives you the right to ask?"

"Simple concern."

"You don't have that right either." Irina said nothing else, remaining silent until we got to our destination.

"We've still got a few minutes… don't ask just yet," she said quietly as we sat down. She discreetly kept an eye on her watch, and gave me a slight nod as the waiter approached us for a second time.

"Excuse me, do you speak Dutch?" I queried. He raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. I then ordered two drinks, looking around cautiously as the waiter left. Moments later, an Asian looking man in dark glasses sat across from me.

"You're not Arvin Sloane," he stated, sounding annoyed.

"No," Irina replied. "Coming here himself, alone, was too much risk for a man of his… infamy. He is in Paris, but he will not be here today." The contact stared at her, giving me a chance to examine him. He was young, slim but powerfully built, with an angry scar running the right side of his jaw.

"Fine. You know the details of our arrangement?" Irina nodded and pulled out a phone, which Sloane had provided. She made a brief call before snapping it shut and looking back to him.

"Half has been transferred to the designated account. The rest will follow after the meeting."

"Good." He reached into his bag and pulled out a black folder. "Everything I have available." He pushed it across the table, and Irina snapped it up.

"There's a lot of pages in there," I noted.

"And they had better not be wasted, for your sake." Irina briefly looked up to our contact.

"I should certainly hope not," he replied with a smug smile. I leaned over to look through the files as Irina went through them.

"Well?" He asked after a few minutes.

"I believe this will meet our requirements," Irina said, closing the folder.

"Glad to hear it. I shall expect to see my remaining payment transferred within the hour. It has been a pleasure… I'll be in touch should Mr. Sloane have further interest." He stood gracefully and melted into the Parisian streets.

"Let's get back… we'll send the rest of the payment through on our way." Irina stood and I followed her silently, trying to make sense of the few things I'd read in the folders. This group was a radical anarchist organization with only one goal: eradication of all forms of government the world over. They had priority headquarters in both Russia and Egypt; their files credited them with a number of high-profile attacks, largely against government-run banks and businesses throughout eastern Europe, and yet almost no one knew their name, including Irina and myself. The files identified them only as NW.

When we reached the airfield. Irina was practically sprinting in her urgency to get the files to Jack; it was all I could do to keep up with her. Jack was waiting expectantly as we boarded the plane. Sark looked on interest as Irina and Jack began going through the file in depth, but he knew better than to interrupt. I stood by impatiently, not liking having to wait. Finally, I reached my limit.

"What's in there? What do we have, is it anything useful?" Jack looked up at me, leaving Irina with the file.

"We're still trying to piece it together, Michael."

"Then it would make sense to have more minds at work," I argued.

"A disk!" Irina suddenly burst out. She passed the rest of the file to Jack and ran for his laptop, sitting at the back of the plane. We all stacked behind her anxiously, desperately hoping for any sign of Sydney.

"The disk is password protected…" Irina cursed under her breath and began trying to hack in. It took her less than five minutes to get through, but it felt like an eternity. Once she had access, it turn out to contain just one folder, which Irina opened and began scrolling through.

"It's a list of high-payoff targets, spanning from 2000 to now," she informed us, though we were all reading over her shoulder. "Presidents, diplomats, UN authorities, embassies… half the targets listed have been eliminated." She fell quiet, continuing to scroll the seemingly endless list of international leaders, skimming but not truly reading. Eventually something caught her attention, and the screen stopped moving.

"Sydney," I whispered, my heart stopping.

"But why?" Sark asked. "She doesn't fit the profile… she's not a vital, highly visible international figure. She does government work, but that doesn't seem quite enough."

"The file only lists the basics about her, nothing about what makes her a high-payoff target." Jack's usually calm voice sounded aggravated. "It doesn't make sense."

"Yes… it does," Irina whispered. She slowly turned to face Jack; after a few moments, his confusion transformed into a look of horrified understanding.

"It makes perfect sense… how did we not see this coming?"

"See what? How does it make sense? Damn it, this is not the time for secrets or keeping us in the dark!" I yelled, surprising myself by including Sark in my defensive words. Jack nodded and Irina looked to Sark and I and began reciting words very familiar to me.

"This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks, signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works. Bind them with fury. A burning anger, unless prevented, at vulgar cost this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation." By the time she'd finished, it all made sense to me as well.

"They believe in Rambaldi's prophecy… they think it refers to a government. And they think they can somehow use Syd to achieve their ultimate goal." Sark nodded at my reasoning before he himself spoke.

"Meaning odds are, she's still out there… she's still alive."


End file.
